Spanish School (circa 1600) - Glory Of Saint John Of God With A Donor

Oil on copper plate. Spiral engraving on the reverse. This magnificent "Glory of Saint John of God with Donor," executed in oil on copper, is an exceptional example of the aesthetic and spiritual transition that marked Spanish painting around 1600, at the dawn of the reign of Philip III. The choice of the metal support is significant: it reflects the taste of the period for finely crafted works of art. Its vitreous surface allows for a chromatic saturation and a level of detail that canvas generally does not permit. The work is structured according to a late Mannerist compositional formula, still influenced by the style of El Escorial, but already imbued with a nascent naturalism, particularly in its treatment of light. These concentrated spotlights, which sculpt the faces with a certain harshness, place the work on the threshold of tenebrism, marking the precise moment when the clarity of the Renaissance gives way to the mystical solemnity and moral rigor of the early Baroque. The pictorial space is clearly divided between the earthly and the divine: in the lower plane, the figure of Saint John of God appears immersed in profound mystical introspection, holding a crucifix, flanked by a donor whose individualized features implore celestial proximity through the saint's intercession. Above, an explosion of glory, defined by cottony clouds, shelters the mystical vision, where celestial figures present a crown of thorns, an unmistakable symbol of the protagonist's identification with the suffering of Christ. This compositional duality allows the artist to condense a hagiographic drama and a secular portrait into a small format, while maintaining a refined technique in the folds of the garments and a restrained expressiveness that avoids decorative excesses to focus on the spiritual truth of the scene. The panel pays sumptuous homage to Juan Cidade, the saint of Granada, who embodied the "madness of love" of the Counter-Reformation after a wandering life as a soldier and shepherd. His radical conversion after hearing Saint John of Avila led him to found the Order of the Hospitallers, revolutionizing assistance to the poor under the motto "Do good, brothers, for yourselves." The iconography presented here is canonical, showing the brown habit and the crucifix in a context of absolute devotion. The quality of this copper work lies in its ability to reflect the excellence of the artists associated with the courts of Valladolid and Madrid, who, through these images of private devotion, were able to capture the maturity of the Hispanic spirit in a work of subtle and vibrant beauty. - Dimensions of the image without frame: 17 x 22.5 cm / 52 x 46 cm with a unique, custom-made carved wooden frame.