The figure has been identified as Saint Clement, a pope and a martyr from the 1st century (92–101). Originally Jewish, Saint Peter converted him to Christianity. According to tradition, he became a martyr by being thrown into the Black Sea with an anchor around his neck. In 867, Saints Cyril and Methodius transferred his remains to Rome and in so doing catalysed his devotional following. He is always depicted in papal dress, and this work is no exception. He is carrying a jewelled border and a brooch and is wearing an alb, a stole and a green-lined red cape (draped under his arm and across his waist). Crowned with a fine circular halo, his head is covered by the papal triple-crowned tiara, from which the lappets hang. He is wearing gold and ruby rings over his gloves. He bestows blessings with his right hand and carries a triple-barred patriarchal cross in his left. On this occasion, he is not accompanied by any of the characteristic symbols that accompanied him in depictions from the Middle Ages onwards. These symbols anchor the representation of martyrdom: a chapel surrounded by water (in remembrance of the one built for him by the angels at the bottom of the sea) and an Agnus Dei as a reference to one of his miracles. In this effigy, the saint stands facing the viewer on an earthy floor. In the background, as it used to be the painter’s style, a mountainous landscape with a city of classical buildings in circular and polygonal shapes can be discerned. The composition ends in a semi-circle. The spandrels are not decorated and would originally have been covered. The figure has been rendered with a certain sculptural quality. His noticeable frontality is offset by the gentle movement of his body and the folds of the garments, by the diagonal arrangement of the arms (in line with the crossed stole), and by the slight lateral deviation of his gaze.

Cortés, Susana Ocaña, Estrella, 'Juan Correa de Vivar. San Clemente, Papa' En:. Juan Correa de Vivar, c. 1510-1566 : maestro del Renacimiento español., Toledo, Sociedad Don Quijote de Conmemoraciones culturales de Castilla la Mancha, 2010, p.126-127 n.13