St. Dominicus and the Albigensians 1580

Bartolomeo Passerotti painted Saint Dominicus and the Albigensians using oil on canvas. The work is all about process, although not in a way that Passerotti would have wanted! The fire at the painting's centre is where the artist directs our attention. Into these flames go the books of the Albigensians. This was a religious movement condemned as heretical; Dominicus subjected their theological arguments to a trial by fire. According to the tale, his writings survived unscathed. In the narrative, the books are objects of scorn, but their very existence testifies to a culture of making. While the Albigensians' books were destroyed, Passerotti's painting still exists. The labour invested in its making, from grinding the pigments to layering the paints, reflects an entirely different kind of faith. Through close looking at material and process, we can begin to understand the values at stake in this charged scene.