Claudio Coello, um 1632 Madrid – 1693 Lot n° 327

Portrait of St. Francis Xavier Oil on canvas. 98,5 x 75 cm. Original baroque frame. Painted around 1680/83. The painting shows the saint in three-quarter portrait. The dark clothes, hat and black hair and beard make the face shine brighter, corresponding to the nimbus shining out of itself. Head pose and the gaze upwards to the right are compositionally accompanied by the staff and the lily stalks, attributes of the sitter. The painting is quite equal in both painting style and quality to Coello's 1685 altarpiece depicting St. Domingo in the Prado Museum in Madrid. A.R. Note: The painter is considered the last significant representative of the Spanish Baroque era of the 17th century. The son of the successful Portuguese sculptor Faustino Coello, he apprenticed in Madrid to Francisco Rizi (1614-1685) and, while still his student, created his first altarpiece for the church of San Plácido in Madrid. The court painter Carreno de Miranda gave him permission to study the royal collections with works by Titian, Van Dyck and Rubens. Studies in Rome followed, as well as commissions for frescoes in Madrid and Toledo, and also for the triumphal arch for the entrance of Queen Mary Louisa of Orleans. Having become famous through these works, he received further commissions, for example from the Archbishop of Saragossa, as well as from Carlo II for the Escorial. It was not until the arrival of the Italian Luca Giordano, who brought about a change in style, that Coello fell into the background, as a result of which - according to legend - he died of grief. As the last representative of the classical Spanish painting, he left numerous important works, which can be found in San Ildefonso, Escorial, Salamanca, Valdemoro and other places. Literature: Detailed article on this painting (copy enclosed): Angel Aterido, Claudio Coello, Madrid, 1642-1693, Saint Francis Xavier. Edward J. Sullivan, Two paintings by Claudio Coello in Valdemoro and his work for the Jesuits in Madrid, in: Homenaje a Humberto Pinera, Madrid 1979. Edward J. Sullivan, Claudio Coello y la pintura barroca madrilena, Madrid, 1989 (further reading there). Angel Aterido, "Contexto e idea de una talla sevillana: Lacapilla del Cristo del Colegio Imperial de Madrid, Archivo Hispalense, nr. 246, 1998, pp. 201-237. (1330282) (11) Claudio Coello, 1642 Madrid - 1693 PORTRAIT OF SAINT FRANZ XAVER Oil on canvas. 98.5 x 75 cm. Created ca. 1680/83. The painting is equal to Coello's 1685 altarpiece depicting Saint Dominic of Guzman held at the Museo del Prado, both in style and quality. The painter is considered the last important representative of the Spanish Baroque era of the 17th century. As the son of the successful Portuguese sculptor Faustino Coello, he was apprenticed to Francisco Rizi (1614 - 1685) in Madrid and created his first altarpiece for the church of San Plácido in Madrid while he was still his student. The court painter Juan Carreño de Miranda gave him permission to study the royal collections with works by Titian, Van Dyck and Rubens. Literature: Detailed article regarding the painting on offer for sale in this lot (copy enclosed): Angel Aterido, Claudio Coello, Madrid, 1642 - 1693, Saint Francis Xavier . E. J. Sullivan, Two paintings by Claudio Coello in Valdemoro and his work for the Jesuits in Madrid, in: Homenaje a Humberto Piñera, Madrid 1979. E. J. Sullivan, Claudio Coello y la pintura barroca madrileña, Madrid, Nerea, 1989 (further literature listed there). Angel Aterido, Contexto e idea de una talla sevillana: La Capilla del Cristo del Colegio Imperial de Madrid, Archivo Hispalense, no. 246, 1998, pp. 201-237.