Andalusian school; last third of the 17th century. "Santa... Lot 16

Andalusian school; last third of the 17th century. "Santa Rosalia of Palermo". Oil on canvas. Re-drawn. It presents faults and repainting. Measurements: 38,5 x 31,5 cm. Rosalia of Palermo was an Italian saint of the XII century, whose cult was promoted by the Benedictines. She is considered a protector against infectious diseases, such as the plague, and she is also invoked to seek her protection in difficult times. Rosalia lived in solitude, poverty and penance. According to her hagiography, she performed miracles such as the extinction of the plague that devastated her native Sicily. Patron saint of Palermo, she enjoys great devotion in Sicily. Saint Rosalia was an important subject in Italian Renaissance and Baroque painting, particularly in the sacre conversazioni (group images of saints flanking the Virgin Mary) of artists such as Riccardo Quartararo, Mario di Laurito, Vincenzo La Barbara and possibly Antonello da Messina. But it was the Flemish master Van Dyck (1599-1637), who was caught in Palermo during the plague of 1624, who produced the greatest number of paintings of her. Saint Rosalia is usually depicted as a young woman with flowing blonde hair, wearing a Franciscan hood or a crown of flowers and leaning towards the city of Palermo to protect it from danger. In this work the saint is depicted seated in the centre of the composition, although no anecdotal elements such as the chair or any details of the interior are visible. Rather, it is the neutral background, against which the colourful presence of the saint, dressed in bright clothes, and the expressiveness of the flowers stand out.