*Sacred Scripture* Saint Justa – Murillo

*In this portrait of St. Justa, by  E. Murillo, the early Christian martyr holds a palm to signify her martyrdom and pots to represent her occupation as a potter. According to tradition, Justa and her sister Rufina were discovered to be Christians when the women refused to sell pots to be used in pagan sacrifices. The holy sisters subsequently lay down their lives to defend their faith in Christ. St. Justa is the Patron Saint of Seville as well as the Patron Saint of Potters.

Artist: Bartolomé Estéban Murillo – c. 1665

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s exquisite three-quarter–length painting of Saint Justa is one of his most beautiful devotional paintings and helped bolster his fame as the preeminent religious painter of the Spanish Golden Age, which spanned the 16th and 17th centuries.

Saint Justa and her sister, Saint Rufina, were third-century Christian martyrs from the town of Triana, Spain, near the city of Seville. According to legend, the sisters were selling pottery on the streets of the city when a Roman procession passed them and demanded that they sacrifice to their gods. When they refused, the Romans broke their pottery, whereupon Justa and Rufina smashed the pagan idol. Justa and Rufina were arrested and tortured; Justa died in prison, and her body was thrown down a well; Rufina was later martyred at the amphitheater of Seville.

Saint Justa and Saint Rufina are found hiding in plain sight at the Meadows Museum.

The Nazis stole this beautiful painting from the enormous Rothschild collection, along with its companion painting, Saint Rufina, during World War II.

The back of the picture frame is marked with the number R1171, which meant it was the 1,171st object stolen from the Rothschilds.

After the war, a group of US army art historians called the “Monument Men” made it their mission to document, protect, and return stolen art. They photographed both Saint Justa and Saint Rufina.

It is believed that these beloved paintings were returned to the Rothschild family. The paintings subsequently passed through many collectors and auctions before being acquired by the Meadows Museum in Dallas, which houses a world famous collection of Spanish masterpieces.

Many years later, Robert Edsel, who happened to be from Dallas, discovered the photographs created by the Monument Men. He immediately made the connection to the paintings that hung in the Meadows Museum. Because there was a photograph of the paintings with the number stamped on the back, the museum could verify authenticity.

Murillo’s paintings of Saint Justa and Saint Rufina are said to be worth more than $10 million.

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  

Rv 3:10–11