05 works, Today, October 17th, is Saints Cosmas and Damian's day, their story illustrated #288

Dosso Dossi, (1489–1542)

Saints Cosmas and Damian

Oil on canvas

Galleria Borghese

Dosso Dossi (c. 1489–1542), real name: Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri, was an Italian Renaissance painter who belonged to the School of Ferrara, painting in a style mainly influenced by Venetian painting, in particular Giorgione and early Titian.[2]

From 1514 to his death he was court artist to the Este Dukes of Ferrara and of Modena, whose small court valued its reputation as an artistic centre. He often worked with his younger brother Battista Dossi, who had worked under Raphael. He painted many mythological subjects and allegories with a rather dream-like atmosphere, and often striking disharmonies in colour. His portraits also often show rather unusual poses or expressions for works originating in a court. More on Dosso Dossi

According to Christian traditions, Saints Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, Arab physicians, and early Christian martyrs born in Cilicia, part of today’s Turkey. They practiced their profession in the seaport of Ayas, Adana, then in the Roman province of Syria. Accepting no payment for their services led to them being named “Unmercenary”  it has been said that, by this, they attracted many to the Christian faith. 

Fra Angelico

Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian Crucifixed and Stoned, c. 1438 - 1440

San Marco Altarpiece

Tempera on panel

38 x 46 cm

Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany

Fra Angelico

The Beheading of Saints Cosmas and Damian,1 c. 443

Louvre Museum

Fra Angelico  (circa 1395 –1455)

Sepulchring of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, between 1438 and 1440

Tempera on wood

Height: 37 cm (14.5 in); Width: 45 cm (17.7 in)

Museum of San Marco

Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; c. 1395 – February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having "a rare and perfect talent".

He was known to contemporaries as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole and Fra Giovanni Angelico . In modern Italian he is called Beato Angelico; the common English name Fra Angelico means the "Angelic friar".

In 1982, Pope John Paul II proclaimed his beatificatio in recognition of the holiness of his life, thereby making the title of "Blessed" official. Fiesole is sometimes misinterpreted as being part of his formal name, but it was merely the name of the town where he took his vows as a Dominican friar, and was used by contemporaries to separate him from others who were also known as Fra Giovanni. 

Vasari wrote of Fra Angelico that "it is impossible to bestow too much praise on this holy father, who was so humble and modest in all that he did and said and whose pictures were painted with such facility and piety." More on Fra Angelico

According to Christian traditions, during the persecution under Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were arrested by order of the Prefect of Cilicia, one Lysias who ordered them under torture to recant. However, according to legend they stayed true to their faith, enduring being hung on a cross, stoned and shot by arrows and finally suffered execution by beheading. Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, their younger brothers, who were inseparable from them throughout life, shared in their martyrdom.

Ambrosius Francken I  (circa 1544 /1545–1618)

The Charity of Saints Cosmas and Damian, 17th century

Oil on panel

Height: 236.4 cm (93 in); Width: 88 cm (34.6 in)

Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp

Ambrosius Francken I (1544–1618) was a Flemish painter known for his religious works and historical allegories painted in a late Mannerist style. He was a prominent member of the Francken family of artists, which played a very important role in the Flemish art scene from the late 16th to middle 17th century.

Ambrosius studied under his father and the leading Antwerp Mannerist painter Frans Floris. Francken spent time in Tournai where he lived at the Bishop's residence as a young pupil at his master Pieter Vlerick's house. In 1570 Francken spent some time in Fontainebleau.

In 1577 Antwerp had elected a Calvinist city council. The council ordered in 1581 the systematic removal of all images from local churches. This event is referred to as the 'silent iconoclasm'. Ambrosius, who is believed to have converted to Calvinism himself, was elected dean of the Guild in 1582. After the Fall of Antwerp, the city became Catholic again and Ambrosius made it known he was Catholic again.

He married Clara Pickarts and later became the teacher of Hieronymus Francken II, the son of his brother Frans Francken I. He died in Antwerp. More on Ambrosius Francken I

Their most famous miraculous exploit was the grafting of a leg from a recently deceased Ethiopian to replace a patient’s ulcered or cancerous leg, and was the subject of many paintings and illuminations. More on Saints Cosmas and Damian

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