Martyrdom of Saint Andrew

The first of Christ's disciples, Andrew was crucified on a saltire or X-shaped cross. His death was ordered by a Roman governor in Greece after Andrew cured the governor's wife of a fatal illness and she was subsequently converted to Christianity. This work depicts his beating by soldiers prior to being bound to the cross. As the patron saint of Scotland, St Andrew's cross has been used as a symbol of the country since 1286, and is still seen on the Scottish national flag. The etching is based on Domenichino's 1608 painting in the church of S. Gregorio, Rome. In making the etching the composition of the painting has been reversed.

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