European School (xx) - Saint Barthélemy (after José De Ribera)

Oil on cardboard. The Apostles of the Prado, a series of oil paintings on canvas executed by José de Ribera between 1630 and 1632, constitute the only cycle from his workshop to have survived almost intact. It comprises eleven of the thirteen original works transferred from the Casita del Príncipe at El Escorial to the Prado Museum. In these canvases of identical dimensions, Ribera displays a Caravaggesque naturalism that transforms the weathered faces of the common people into sacred figures recognizable by their attributes. While the series alternates between studio interventions and in-depth portrait studies, it is in the painting of Saint Bartholomew that the genius of "the Spaniard" reaches its zenith, establishing itself as the undisputed masterpiece of the series thanks to the power of its execution and its ability to elevate the everyday to the status of a universal icon. Image dimensions without frame: 50 x 63 cm / 61 x 72 cm with custom frame.