Saint Susanna

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François Du Quesnoy, 1630 — 1633
Santa Maria di Loreto, Rome

François Du Quesnoy, born and trained in Brussels, made his career in Rome. His Saint Susanna is kept there in a chapel in the church of Santa Maria di Loreto, as one of four women martyrs.

Du Quesnoy’s Saint Susanna enjoyed great fame among his Roman contemporaries even in his own day, because of his innovative way of arranging draperies. Saint Susanna embodies the classicist movement in Roman sculpture. The draperies are inspired by works of art from classical antiquity, which Du Quesnoy studied and analyzed in detail while in Rome.

The young artist initially came to Rome in 1618 on a three-year scholarship to study antiquity. Du Quesnoy, however, managed to build a successful career in the city. In that sense, Du Quesnoy and I have something in common, as I too decided to leave the Netherlands for a country that was unknown to me at the time.

— Cynthia Osiecki, Curator of Old Masters, Nasjonalmuseet for Kunst, Arkitektur og Design, Oslo