One of the incredible things about spending time studying the Churches and culture of Europe is the wealth of incredible art that is everywhere. Much of this art, being religious in nature, has a catechetical element - Dan hinted at this on a recent post about St. Joseph.
According to the Martyrologium Romanum (the Roman Martyrology), St. Bartholomew preached the Gospel in India, where he was martyred, and pious tradition holds that he was skinned alive. Here, we see this in this statue, found in the Milan Cathedral, and in this fresco, found at the Church of San Giulio at Lago d'Orta.
Martyrs often will be portrayed in a way that explains at a glance the manner in which they were martyred. In both cases here, notice the skin draped over the Saint's body - just as other martyrs might carry swords or other implements explaining their martyrdom (for example St. Lawrence is nearly universally portrayed carrying a gridiron, St. Lucy is portrayed holding a plate on which there are two eyes), St. Bartholomew is pictured holding his skin; in the fresco, he is also shown holding a knife.
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