Saint Luke
Ca. 1778. Oil on canvas.On display elsewhere
This is a sketch for one of the frescoes on the gospel side of the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. The frescoes were painted in 1778–79 around the theme of Saint Luke Painting the Virgin. The figure of Saint Luke is depicted in the central part of the composition. Meanwhile, on his right, there is an unfinished easel painting of the Virgin with Child, as is characteristic in the iconography of Saint Luke. On his left, however, three angels display a conceptual tablet with text from a biblical passage (Luke 1:28). The Saint points upwards, namely, to his words. He is also pointing downwards at the same time, possibly to draw our attention to the bull, the Saint’s symbol. In the composition, numerous angels in different poses accompany him. Francisco Bayeu also painted other parts of the Chapel. For example, the Dome. In this section, he developed the themes of The Triumph of the Lamb of God on the High Altar; Allegory of the Church opposite the latter; in front of it, The Faith with the Tablets of the Law, and in front of the Epistle, the work titled Prophet Isaiah. The drawings and preparatory sketches are kept in the museum and are linked together. Special mention should be made to the preparatory drawings; Saint Luke (D2128), since it is the main figure of study in the composition; Mantle (D340), the study of the lower part of the mantle for the main figure; and Young Angel (D398), which is the preparatory drawing for the angel below the saint, pointing to him.
