The Young Martyr

This painting shows a young female martyr floating dead on the River Tiber in the 3rd Century A.D during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. It is sometimes referred to as the Christian Ophelia because of its resemblance to Shakespeare’s character Ophelia in Hamlet. Delaroche's paintings, with their straightforward technique and dramatic compositions were very popular and he applied essentially the same treatment to all his historical character studies.