Title: Christ in Glory

Artist: Pompeo Batoni

Christ in Glory with Saints Celsus, Julian, Marcionilla, and Basilissa 1736–37 Pompeo Batoni Italian, 1708–1787 Oil on canvas This is a finished study for the high altar of the church of Santi Celso e Giuliano, a commission that helped establish Batoni as the leading painter in Rome. The church stands on the former site of the house of Celsus and his mother, Marcionilla, located across the Tiber River from the Castel Sant'Angelo, the circular monument visible in the background. Saints Julian and Basilissa agreed to preserve their virginity even in marriage; standing at left, they hold a lily as a symbol of their purity.