Saint Jerome
1656 - 1657.Not on display
Large series of paintings for religious orders were painted throughout the seventeenth century. They include free-standing figures of saints and scenes with more complex compositions. That is the case of the present work, which belongs to a series of saints made around 1657 by Valdés Leal for the Sacristy of the Convent of San Jerónimo in Seville. The series was scattered in the nineteenth century. All of these works share similar characteristics: the saint is standing, and is seen from below, accompanied by his identifying attributes. Here those attributes are a Cardinal´s hat, a table with writing instruments and the lion whose paw he cured when he was doing penitence. The work’s solemn, monumental character derives from its perspective and large scale. The artist´s hand is visible throughout the work, with a very free and confident rendering most visible in the saint´s highly expressive face.
