# Saint Martin and the Beggar

- By: Domenico Theotokópoulos, called El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos; Greek, active in Spain, 1541–1614)
- Date: c. 1597–c. 1600
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: 110 × 63 cm (43 5/16 × 24 13/16 in.); Framed: 133.4 × 85.7 × 10.2 cm (52 1/2 × 33 3/4 × 4 in.)
- Culture: Greece
- Credit line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey McCormick
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/67362)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/52098776-6e2e-9683-e258-7b1cec8660dd/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This painting is a small replica of an altarpiece for the private family chapel of San José in Toledo, Spain. Producing smaller versions of commissioned altarpieces allowed El Greco to introduce his creations to a wider market. The composition here includes elements that would have resonated with his audience: Saint Martin wears fashionable, contemporary armor, and the walls of Toledo are visible in the distant background. Martin was a popular saint during the period, when the Catholic Church was promoting acts of charity like the gift of his cloak to a beggar as necessary for earning salvation.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0