St. Maurice and the Angel (also recorded as St Secundus and Angel) is a late oil painting by the Genoese Baroque master Bernardo Strozzi, dated 1637 and now in the collection of the Hermitage Museum. Painted near the end of the artist's career, the small cabinet picture — 82 × 101 cm — exemplifies the rich colour and broad, energetic brushwork that made Strozzi a principal founder of the Baroque style in Venetian painting ^[1][3][4].

Attribution and title: Maurice or Secundus?

The painting is catalogued by the Hermitage Museum under the title St Secundus and Angel, while art-historical literature also identifies the subject as St. Maurice ^[3][4]. Both saints were Roman military officers martyred in the early Christian era, and the ambiguity reflects the difficulty of identifying specific soldier-saints in Baroque painting when standard attributes are shared. The work's inception date is firmly recorded as 1637, placing it in the final phase of Strozzi's career, after he had relocated from Genoa to Venice ^[1][3].

Provenance: the Hermitage collection

The painting entered the collection of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where it remains today ^[3][4]. The museum's digital catalogue serves as the primary source record for the work's attribution, dimensions, and current location ^[4]. No earlier ownership chain is documented in the available sources.

Date	Event
1637	Painting executed by Bernardo Strozzi [3]
—	Acquired by the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg [3][4]
Current	In the Hermitage collection [3]

Technique: late Venetian brushwork and colour

Strozzi's late style, developed during his Venetian period, is distinguished by rich and glowing colour and broad, energetic brushstrokes ^[1]. These qualities are evident in St. Maurice and the Angel, where the painterly handling reflects the influence of the Venetian colourist tradition that Strozzi absorbed after moving to the lagoon city ^[1]. The work's compact dimensions suggest a private devotional commission rather than a large altarpiece, a format that allowed Strozzi to concentrate on intimate figure interaction and virtuoso paint application ^[3].

Iconography: the soldier-saint and divine messenger

The painting depicts a young soldier-saint in armour accompanied by an angel, a subject that resonated with the Counter-Reformation emphasis on saintly intercession and military faith ^[1]. Strozzi's wide subject range included history and religious paintings, and his Genoese training under Pietro Sorri had steered him away from Mannerist artificiality toward greater naturalism ^[1]. The juxtaposition of earthly armour and celestial presence — a recurring motif in Baroque depictions of military saints — allowed Strozzi to display his mastery of contrasting textures: polished metal, soft fabric, and radiant flesh ^[1].

Strozzi's place in the Baroque

Bernardo Strozzi (c. 1581–1644), nicknamed il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese, was born and initially active in Genoa before working in Venice in the latter part of his career ^[1][2]. His work exercised considerable influence on artistic developments in both cities, and he is considered a principal founder of the Baroque style in Venetian painting ^[1]. A painter and engraver, Strozzi worked in both canvas and fresco, with a subject range spanning history, allegory, genre, portraiture, and still life ^[1]. St. Maurice and the Angel belongs to his final Venetian years, when his powerful art — marked by glowing colour and energetic handling — had reached full maturity ^[1].

Frequently asked questions

When was St. Maurice and the Angel painted?

The work is dated 1637, late in Strozzi's career and during his Venetian period ^[3].

Where is the painting located today?

It is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg ^[3][4].

Why is the painting also called St Secundus and Angel?

The Hermitage Museum records the work under the title St Secundus and Angel, while art-historical literature also identifies the figure as St. Maurice; both were Roman soldier-saints, and the identification remains uncertain ^[3][4].