Saint Blaise
Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra, 1640
Saint Blaise is a small canvas in which Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra shows Blaise of Sebaste dressed as a bishop. At his feet lies a carding comb, the instrument tradition links to his martyrdom, so the saint is recognised more through this attribute than through individual features. The figure stands out against a dark background, lit so as to pick out the sheen of the episcopal vestments and the restrained gesture, traits typical of the Baroque of the Córdoba school.
The painting belonged to an altarpiece that was broken up in the mid-nineteenth century, during the disentailment of church property. It was originally part of the altarpiece known as that of the Condes del Menado, linked to the church of the Trinitarian convent in Córdoba, and dates from around the first half of the 1640s. Its companion canvases were scattered among different locations, and some were replaced by copies. This Saint Blaise ended up in the Museo de Bellas Artes de Córdoba, where it can be seen today. Its interest lies both in its painterly quality and in what it helps us reconstruct of that religious ensemble.
- Painter
- Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra
- Date
- 1640
- Medium
- oil paint, canvas
- Dimensions
- 74 × 36 cm
- Museum
- Museum of Fine Arts of Córdoba, Córdoba
- Movement
- Cordoba School of Painting
- Genre
- religious art
- Depicts
- Blaise of Sebaste
More works by Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra
