Antonio Vivarini and Giovanni d'Alemagna, Polyptych of St. Sabina: Detail, upper register
1443
Chapel of St. Tarasio
Church of San Zaccaria, Venice, Italy
On the left St. Margaret of Antioch plunges an ornate processional cross into the mouth of a dragon. This refers to her overcoming a devil who had appeared to her as a dragon and swallowed her whole. She obtained release by making the sign of the cross, which artists traditionally render as an actual cross.
According to literature provided by the church Margaret of Antioch was the namesake of Margherita Donato, the Abbess at San Zaccaria, who paid for the whole polyptych.
On the right St. Agatha is pictured more demurely than usual, holding a book rather than a platter with her breasts as in many other images. Her right hand holds a palm branch to signify that she was a martyr.
The angel in the center holds a banderole with the words hic est imago s. sabinae, "Here is the image of St. Sabina." The image itself is in the lower register of the polyptych.
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Photographed at the chapel by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.