Saint Anselm
1620 - 1634. Grey-brown wash, White lead, Black chalk, Squared-up, Pencil on paper attached to canvas, laid paper.Not on display
Dressed in a cape and adorned with staff and mitre, he holds a book between his hands. Angulo and Pérez Sánchez suggested the possibility that it could be Saint Augustine. However, he more closely resembles the bishop Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109), who defended the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin in his writings. When compared to the painting by Angelo Nardi Saint Anselm of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (La Guardia in Toledo), the drawing’s identification with the prelate appears justified. Regarding the technique, the drawing is somewhat stiffer, with more rigid outlines, coarser ink wash and strokes of white lead applied in a cruder manner than that typical of the master. In addition, some corrections are perceptible on the face: initially he looked more towards the viewer, and his right arm – which was initially intended to hold the staff at a greater height – was then modified to place it lower and fit better under the cope. An interesting detail to mention is that the sheet was glued to a fabric on which the remains of a pencil outline can be detected. This fact leads to the consideration that such a union may have been performed during the same time period as the execution of the drawing, given that Saint Gregory (D5989) displays the same characteristic.
Pascual Chenel, Á.; Rodríguez Rebollo, A., Vicente Carducho. Dibujos Catálogo razonado, Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional de España - Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica, 2015, p.153-165 [154,162-163 n.27.6]
