16/2/23 - Acquisition - Madrid, Museo del Prado - A new painting by Francisco de Zurbarán can now be seen at the Prado (ill. 1). Held by a Canarian collector, it had not been allowed to leave Spanish territory. The museum was able to acquire it and thus complete the collection of some thirty pictures by the artist that it already possesses, which is nevertheless less important than that of other great masters active in Seville in the 17th century, such as Diego Velázquez, Alonso Cano or Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.
The work, which is in need of restoration, shows Saint Francis of Paola at prayer, recognisable by the word "CHARITAS" that appears in the sky. One of his disciples said that the hermit had a vision of Saint Michael handing him a flaming shield bearing this inscription.
Born in 1416 in Paule, Calabria, he was given the name Francis of Assisi, his parents considering his birth a miracle performed by the saint. He entered the Cordeliers, distinguished himself by some unexpected skills such as the gift of ubiquity, and eventually retired to a cave where he was joined by other solitary penitents, who formed the order of Minims - "the very little ones" - a branch of the Franciscans. St Francis of Paola went to the bedside of King Louis XI in 1483 and remained at the French court for over twenty years after his death.
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- 1. Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664)
Saint Francis of Paola at Prayer, 1659
Oil on canvas - 123.8 x 97 cm
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado
Photo: Prado - See the image in its page
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- 2. Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664)
Saint Francis of Assisi at Prayer, 1659
Oil on canvas - 126 x 97.1 cm
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado
Photo: Prado - See the image in its page
The Prado preserves a painting by Zurbarán depicting St Francis of Assisi at prayer (ill. 2). Painted in the same year, 1659, the two compositions are very similar: each of the monks is leaning on a flat rock, while in the background there is an almost identical landscape, with the same blue sky crossed by white clouds, which illuminates the whole. A ray of light highlights the skull held by one and the book held by the other.
Perhaps the two paintings were pendants, perhaps they belonged to a larger series of effigies of saints. These were late works by the master, produced shortly after he moved to Madrid, where he lived out his life, and were not intended for a place of worship, church or monastery, but were more likely to be commissioned privately.
They bear witness to the stylistic evolution of the painter: from his last years in Seville, he was able to adapt to the arrival of young artists such as Murillo and to the evolution of taste. His range became clearer and more varied, the contrast of light and shadow softened, and the figures no longer stood out against a dark, neutral background, but against a bright sky. Nevertheless, he retained the same naturalistic concern in the description of the various accessories - the heavy, rasping bure, the walking stick - and the same desire to paint expressive figures in order to better win over the faithful. Thus the features of the face - raised eyes, half-open mouth - and the gestures of the saint - his clasped hands - express his deep piety.
This painting joins two representations of Saint Francis of Paola by Murillo in the Prado.