Saints Mark and Marcellinus being led to Martyrdom 1565

Paolo Veronese painted Saints Mark and Marcellinus being led to Martyrdom on canvas in the 16th century. Here, Veronese stages the early Christian narrative as a public spectacle, complete with classical architecture, billowing flags, and an expressive crowd. The setting evokes the artist’s native Venice, a republic built on trade with the East that, in this period, styled itself as the New Rome. The painting’s large scale suggests it was commissioned for a Venetian institution, such as a church or confraternity, aiming to affirm the city's piety and historical continuity with the Roman Empire. The artist’s dramatic use of perspective, light, and shadow heightens the emotional impact, inviting viewers to identify with the saints' courage in the face of religious persecution. As historians, we might examine the social function of such images through archival research, exploring the patronage networks and religious beliefs that shaped their production. The painting reminds us that even seemingly straightforward religious scenes are embedded in complex social and institutional contexts.