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Reference number
P01091
Author
Ribera, José de (Spanish)
Title
Saint Simon
Chronology
Ca. 1630
Technique
Support
Measures
107 cm x 91 cm
School
Theme
Shown
Yes
Entrance
COLECCION REAL
Procedence
Royal Collection

Saint Simon is depicted over a dark background. He carries a book and the saw that symbolizes his martyrdom.

The technique, with strong contrasts of light and shadows, is still tenebrist, following the style of the Italian painter, Caravaggio, who was the maximum influence on Ribera's work. That same influence is visible in the naturalist representation of the saint's face, which may have been based on human types in Ribera's everyday life.

This type of composition, a half-length depiction of a saint on a dark background, accompanied only by his iconographic attributes, was abundant in Ribera's work from the sixteen thirties.

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