Saint Rose of Lima
Ca. 1685. Oil on canvas.Not on display
This painting and Saint Dominic of Guzmán (P000662) is a pair of canvases painted around 1685 by Claudio Coello for the church of the Dominican friary of Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Madrid, now in the Prado, depicting Saint Dominic of Guzmán and Saint Rose of Lima, two doctrinal pillars of the Order of Preachers. The two genders and geographical regions, represented by the order’s founding father and the brand-new Spanish American saint, are positioned at the same level in the church’s side altarpieces and accorded a similar status. The figures are similarly treated and conceived without any difference, with their black and white habits as emblems, as if they were two sculptures venerated on a heavenly plane that retains earthly references. Adopting a sotto in sù viewpoint, the artist places them on a pedestal in a well-constructed architectural setting with an open space that recedes into the background, framed by crimson curtains – another element that serves to heighten the spectator’s sensation of reality and mystery.
As is usually the case in representations of this kind, despite their formal appearance, both paintings are intended to show living, fully flesh-and-blood figures, two human beings who have attained glory and are portrayed triumphant, standing on the victors’ podium as if in frozen tableaux vivants. In the case of Saint Rose, even the divine apparition of the Christ Child and the cherubs accompanying her help heighten the desired sensation of a blend of reality and fantasy, making the message more effective.
Arias Martínez, Manuel, Darse la mano. Escultura y color en el Siglo de Oro, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2024, p.354-356
