Spanish School (c. 1660) - Saint Gregory The Great

Oil on canvas. Original canvas. Inscription with the subject's name. This oil on canvas, a major work of the mid-17th-century Spanish school, is one of the most eloquent representations of Saint Gregory the Great. The work achieves a masterful synthesis of European influences: the monumentality and anatomical vigor of the Italian heritage blend harmoniously with a landscape featuring a low horizon and atmospheric light, characteristic of the Flemish tradition, which filters through a lateral opening. Gregory, the pontiff who, in the 6th century, gave definitive form to the Catholic liturgy and Mass, is depicted here not only as a hierarch, but also as a tireless driving force of Christian thought. The saint's pontifical dignity is emphasized by his iconographic attributes: the patriarchal cross with three crossbars and the tiara, or trireme, which rests partially on the desk, recalling the weight of earthly power in relation to spiritual power. However, the focal point of the composition is the figure of the theologian and exegete. The saint's focused pose, pen in hand and large book open before him, reveals the prolific author of the Moralia in Iob. This portrait captures the Baroque balance between the majesty of his office and the intellectual fervor of one of the four great Fathers of the Western Church. - Image dimensions without frame: 75 x 94.5 cm / 90.5 x 111 cm with a custom-made antique frame.