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Lot Essay
The reverse of the tondo bears a manuscript paper label describing the scene as being the martyrdom of Saint Agatha. However, the fact that the scene contains multiple martyred female figures and none of the attributes of St. Agatha would suggest that this is more likely to be a depiction of St. Ursula. Ursula was reputedly a British princess who travelled on pilgrimage to Rome with her virgin companions (a later mistranslation of the story put the number of the companions at eleven thousand). Returning via Cologne, a pagan prince tried to force her into marriage; when she declined, she and her companions were murdered. The cult of St. Ursula based around her church at Cologne gained a large following in Medieval times.