Frescoes in the Oratorio Suardi, Trescore (1523-24)

The frescoes in the Oratorio Suardi were commissioned by Count Battista Suardi, his wife Orsolina and his sister Paolina Suardi. Battista Suardi was a member of a leading Bergamasque family, he was Lotto's patron in Trescore where he had built the oratory in 1501-02, and soon afterward had had the east wall, with its semicircular apse accommodating the altar, decorated by an anonymous and modestly gifted local painter. Lotto's task was to paint the other three walls, and the areas of ceiling between the exposed wooden beams that supported the roof. On the left wall the stories of St Barbara, on the right wall the stories of St Brigid, while on the entrance wall the stories of St Catherine of Alexandria and St Magdalene are depicted.

The frescoes mark one of the high points of Lotto's career. The meanings and possible interpretations are extremely complicated and also include references to the Protestant Reformation and alchemy. However, the two longer walls are dedicated to the narration of the legends relating to the two saints. While the stories of St Brigid interrupted by the door and windows, the complex account of the martyrdom of St Barbara is continuous, with the important points being underlined by the presence of architecture. The frescoes on the ceiling (an arbour with putti) and the end walls seem in a poor state of conservation, especially if compared with the side walls, which are in excellent condition.