Rome, Basilica of St. Maria del Popolo, Vault of the Choir: frescoes (1505 - 1510) by Pinturicchio (Bernardino di Betto). Detail of Saint Luke painting the Virgin.Saint Luke painting the Virgin, is a devotional subject in art showing Saint Luke painting the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus. Such paintings were often created during the Renaissance for chapels of Saint Luke in European churches, and frequently recalled the composition of the Salus Populi Romani, an icon based on the legend of Luke's portrait of Mary. Versions of the subject were sometimes painted as the masterpiece that many guilds required an artist to submit before receiving the title of master.
