The Honesty of Eligius

religious

Eligius, protector of goldsmiths, accused of stealing part of the precious metal assigned to him, shows King Clovis how he has made two whole thrones with the amount given for just one. The scene gives the artist the opportunity to show the workshop of a contemporary court craftsman, dignified by the luxurious items on display.

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About the Artist

Jacopo Da Empoli

1551 – 1640

Italian painter and draughtsman, actually Jacopo Chimenti. He lived and worked in Florence all his life, and he followed Santi di Tito in the return to the clarity of the Florentine High Renaissance. He absorbed the ideas of his more innovative contemporaries and became one of the most popular painters of altarpieces for churches in Florence and Tuscany. He was also a distinguished still-life painter and received many commissions from private patrons, among them the Medici. Jacopo da Empoli's painting is distinguished by simple, lucid forms, strong colour and direct and clear interpretation of the subject.

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