Workshop of JOSÉ DE RIBERA (Xátiva, Valencia, 1591 - Naples, 1652). "St. Francis of Paula" ca.1630. Oil on canvas.

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Oct 20, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-10-20 07:30:00 2021-10-20 07:30:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : OLD MASTERS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/old-masters-7700
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• Lot Description
  Workshop of JOSÉ DE RIBERA (Xátiva, Valencia, 1591 - Naples, 1652). "St. Francis of Paula" ca.1630. Oil on canvas. Size: 120 x 103 cm; 128 x 112 cm (frame). In this canvas is represented San Francisco de Paula of half body, in pensive position, with the glance directed upwards, in the direction of a halo of light that emanates from the top right part of the composition and in which the word "Caritas" can be read. He appears dressed in dark sackcloth, typical of his hermit character, accompanied by the staff, his main iconographic attribute, and with the Holy Scriptures in front of him, also illuminated by a spotlight that falls directly on them. It is a work perfectly framed within the naturalistic baroque, heir of José de Ribera, starring a totally earthly man, with a face far from any idealization. San Francisco de Paula is presented as a real person, with personalized features typical of the individualized study, furrowed by deep wrinkles. As usual within the naturalistic baroque, the composition is simple and clear, with the character in the foreground against a neutral and dark background that enhances his physical presence. Apart from the human model and this composition, the lighting is also clearly naturalistic, a tenebrism derived directly from Ribera that is based on an artificial, directed spotlight that penetrates the painting through the lower left corner and falls on the face and hands of the saint, also illuminating the writings and the table in the foreground, leaving the rest in a nuanced penumbra, very worked, as we can see in the perfectly achieved mantle, characterized by its realism, despite being enveloped in shadows. The chromatism is also typical of this school, very limited around the ochers, earthy, reflecting the warm and naturalistic atmosphere. Regarding the subject, it represents Saint Francis of Paola (Calabria, Italy, 1416-Tours, France, 1507), hermit founder of the Order of the Minims and saint of the Catholic Church in the Italian region of Calabria. Legend has it that St. Francis became seriously ill of the eyes, reason for which his parents entrusted themselves to St. Francis, curing their son's eyes. To be grateful for the miracle, at the age of fourteen he went on pilgrimage to Assisi, thus becoming a hermit. For five years he withdrew to the mountain, feeding only on water and wild herbs, sleeping on the hard ground, with a stone as a pillow. He was canonized in 1519, only twelve years after his death, during the pontificate of Pope Leo X. In the early years of the 16th century, the Order of the Minims entered Spain, acquiring great diffusion due to the values of Franciscan preaching that they spread, which, linked to the recent canonization of the saint and his way of life and poverty, strongly influenced the Spanish Christian population. Due to the aforementioned formal characteristics, this painting can be related to the circle of José de Ribera, a key painter for the development of the naturalistic baroque not only in Spain, but also in Italy and in other national schools, given the great diffusion of his work. Called the Españoleto, he was a key master of the Spanish Baroque, and in general of the history of art at the European level. Although no documentary sources or evidence of his youth are preserved, it is believed that he trained with Francisco Ribalta in Valencia, after which he went to Italy, first to the north and later to Rome, where he learned first-hand about the classicists and the Caravaggesque tenebrism of the Dutch who settled there. Finally he settled in Naples, where he arrived in 1616. Then began his period of maturity and splendor; Ribera enjoyed fame and a large workshop, and his works spread throughout Europe through engravings.
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