Italian School, 16th/17th Century Martyrdom of a Saint, Possibly Peter Martyr

Italian School, 16th/17th Century

Martyrdom of a Saint, Possibly Peter Martyr
Unsigned.
Red chalk on laid, watermarked, paper, possibly a counterproof, 10 13/16 x 7 5/8 in. (27.5 x 19.5 cm), matted, unframed.
Condition: Foxing, staining, sheet affixed to window mat at corners of the reverse.

N.B. Peter Martyr was a Dominican friar, killed by two assassins hired by Venetian noblemen whose property he had confiscated. Attacked in a forest setting, he lies on ground, hand raised in self-defense, with the assassin about to strike him with a sword. The saint's traveling companion is a witness, while putti hovering above hold the martyr's palm and laurel crown.