Saint Anthony of Padua

Second half of the XVII century. Oil on canvas.
On display elsewhere

He is dressed in the typical Franciscan robe, fastened by the rustic cord with the three knots symbolising the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The writings of Saint Bernardine of Siena described Saint Anthony as corpulent and short, but the usual iconography preferred to soften his physiognomy and insist on the amiability or gallantry of his person. For this reason, the most frequently depicted scene, is of vision which occurred during a trip to France, when the Virgin appeared to him in a room, presenting to him the Infant Jesus. The figure is similar in its treatment to the sculptural monumentality typical of Coello´s creations. The soft working of the habit, with its bulky, heavy folds, which Coello used to express his volumetric sense and spatial conceit, is also present here. The artist also returns to his preference for placing his figures on steps or benches, bestowing on them an augmented sense of dignity and composure, fully exploiting the effects of perspective. The similar dimensions of Saint Anthony and Saint Francis of Assisi (P3526) and the mirroring of their attitudes suggest that the two works were paired together in an unknown set, such as an altarpiece in a Franciscan convent in which these canvases formed the side streets. The biography of the saints may suggest that the central box of this altarpiece was presided over by a Marian sculpture.

Pintores del Reinado de Carlos II, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1996, p.54-56

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Saint Francis of Assisi

Oil on canvas, Second half of the XVII century

Claudio Coello

Inventory number: P005244
Author: Claudio Coello
Title: Saint Anthony of Padua
Date: Second half of the XVII century
Technique: Oil
Support: Canvas
Dimension: Height: 159 cm; Width: 90 cm
Provenance: Probably, Madrid, Convent of Santa María de los Ángeles, 1838; Museo de la Trinidad, 1838–1872.
Entry date: 1872

Bibliography +

Espinós, Adela; Orihuela, Mercedes; Royo Villanova, Mercedes [et al.], El "Prado disperso". Cuadros depositados en La Coruña. Museo de Bellas Artes, Boletín del Museo del Prado, VIII (22), 1987, pp. 54.

Museo Nacional del Prado, Museo del Prado: inventario general de pinturas (II). Museo de la Trinidad, Museo del Prado, Espasa Calpe, Madrid, 1991, pp. nº51.

Pintores del Reinado de Carlos II, Museo del Prado, Madrid, 1996, pp. 54-56.

Gómez Nebreda, María Luisa, Las pinturas del convento franciscano de los Ángeles de Madrid que pasaron al Museo de la Trinidad. Contribución al catálogo del "Prado Disperso", Boletín del Museo del Prado, XX, 2002, pp. 37-64 [44].

García Cueto, David, Claudio Coello, pintor 1642-1693, Arco Libros - La Muralla, Madrid, 2016, pp. 36-37 f.7.

Other inventories +

Inv. del Convento de Religiosas Fraciscanas llamadas de los Angeles. Núm. 27.
Inventario formado por la Comisión de Nobles Artes, pedida de orn del gobierno à la Real Academia de Sn Fernando, y compuesta de los Señores Dn Juan Galvez y Dn Francisco Elías; en el convento de Monjas Franciscas (bulgo los Angeles) de esta Corte: Claustro vajo / 27 Un cuadro de Sn Antonio de Padua / Alto 5/4 Ancho 1 [varas]

Inv. Museo de la Trinidad, Pintura. Núm. 151.
151. Sn Antonio de Padua. / con el Niño de Dios sobre un libro Qe tiene el Sto en la mano y á los pies una azucena / Fs de tamaño natural y cuerpo entero. / Autor. / Rdo Alto 1,59; Ancho 0,90. Forrado Rdo y sin marco Colgdo en la GP / Nº 19 S.E.

Catálogo Museo de la Trinidad, 1865. Núm. 151.
CUADROS ANÓNIMOS DE LA ESCUELA TOLEDANA. / 151. S. Antonio de Pádua. / Lienzo. - Al. 1,60. - An. 0,90. - Fig. t. n. c. e. / Epoca: segundo tercio del siglo XVII. / S. Antonio de Pádua con una rodilla hincada en tierra, tiene sobre un libro el niño Dios. Compañero del núm. 157.