San Ponziano in an Amphitheatre Being Exposed to Lions 1732 - 1798

Christoph Unterberger made this pen and brown ink drawing of Saint Ponziano in the late 18th century. It depicts the Roman martyr, Ponziano, in an arena, surrounded by lions and watched by a crowd. The image invokes the long history of Christian martyrdom as public spectacle. These spectacles took place within the tradition of Roman amphitheater entertainments, so the drawing highlights the institution of the amphitheater as a site of both pleasure and violence. Unterberger was an Austrian artist working in Rome at the time, so he would have been acutely aware of the city's history as a site of religious persecution. The figure of the saint, with arms spread wide and eyes turned upwards, references a tradition of religious imagery that emphasizes faith in the face of suffering. The drawing itself, as a study for a larger work, points to the institutions of artistic training and patronage that shaped Unterberger's career. The interpretation of art relies on understanding its social and institutional context. Research into the history of religious martyrdom, Roman spectacle, and artistic training in 18th-century Rome can all help to illuminate this drawing's meaning.