Which French painter created 'The Young Martyr' at the Met?

The French painter who created The Young Martyr was Paul Delaroche.

Delaroche’s best-known version, completed in 1855, shows a young Christian woman floating lifelessly in the Tiber, her bound hands raised and a faint halo hovering above her head. The dramatic contrast between the dark water, distant figures, and luminous body combines historical subject matter with Romantic emotion.

The painting reflects Delaroche’s characteristic interest in highly finished historical and religious scenes. He often balanced academic precision with theatrical storytelling, presenting moments of suffering or death with unusually polished detail. The subject is commonly interpreted as the martyrdom of a young Christian, although the painting does not identify a specific saint.

One important location detail is easy to miss: the famous 1855 version is in the Louvre, while an earlier version from 1853 is in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. Thus, Paul Delaroche remains the correct artist, even though the reference to the Met appears to be a collection-location error.