The Last Token: A Christian Martyr
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
67 1/2 x 47 in. (171.5 x 119.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Bequest of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, 1887
Accession Number
87.15.58
Tags
Art Historical Context
Gabriel Max's *The Last Token: A Martyr* is a striking oil on canvas painting that captures the dramatic tension of early Christian persecution in the Roman arenas. Measuring an imposing 67½ x 47 inches, large-scale work draws viewers into a poignant moment, likely featuring a serene female martyr confronted by leopards—fierce symbols of imperial brutality. Max, a 19th-century Austrian artist with the Munich School, blended academic realism with symbolic depth, often exploring themes of spirituality and animal sentience to evoke empathy and moral reflection. Painted in oil, the medium allowed...