The Getty Museum in Los Angeles has a great social media presence. One of their latest posts asks the Barbie-inspired question, "Do you ever think about dying?" The video is the latest installment of "Macabre Minute with Mel," a series featuring Melissa Casas, digital producer at the Getty, who shares the stories behind some of the more interesting and creepy items in the Getty collections.
In the latest post, Mel discusses how Christian saints are depicted in art—and particularly in medieval manuscripts—alongside symbols related to how they died. She continues: "From Saint Lawrence to Saint Agatha, let Mel guide you through this condensed compendium of canonization." The art featured in the video includes:
1. Mass for the Dead, early 1460s, Willem Vrelant. Getty Museum
2. Saint Lawrence, about 1500, Master of Jacques de Besançon. Getty Museum
3. Saint Lawrence with a Book and a Gridiron, about 1466–1470, Master of Jacques of Luxembourg. Getty Museum
4. The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, about 1340, Pacino di Bonaguida. Getty Museum
5. The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, 1469, Lieven van Lathem. Getty Museum
6. Initial O: Saint Sebastian, about 1480–1490, Georges Trubert. Getty Museum
7. The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, about 1430–1440, Master of Sir John Fastolf. Getty Museum
8. The Martyrdom of Saint Agatha; Saint Agnes; Saint Cecilia; Saint Lucy; Saint Catherine, about 1300, French. Getty Museum
9. Portrait of a Young Woman as Saint Agatha, 1516–1517, Cariani (Giovanni Busi). National Galleries of Scotland. Getty Museum
10. Saint Erasmus, about 1430–1440, Master of Sir John Fastolf. Getty Museum
11. The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew, 1469, Lieven van Lathem. Getty Museum
12. The Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia, 1469, Lieven van Lathem. Getty Museum
It's an entertaining and educational video—those poor saints sure did suffer some awful fates. I highly recommend it, as well as the rest of the Getty's posts—for more, check out their website or follow their Instagram or Facebook.
