Valencian School, 16th century

Painted on two panels of unequal width. The left panel has a slanted outer edge, suggesting that this once formed the wing of an altarpiece. The upper, right and lower edges are exposed unpainted areas, probnably once hidden beneath a frame. The panel is very thick and strong, the smaller is cut slightly unevenly. There is some damage to the edge of the small panel, but only on the verso. The back is protected with a mixture of horse hair and gesso, as is typical of Spanish paintings of this date. A fine split visible on the painted side corresponds with the join between the two panels. The upper part of this split has been repaired, but the repair has discoloured slightly. The lower part exposes a tiny part of ground layer. There are some discoloured speck retouchings throughout the work, but these are not bothersome because the highly striking effect of the whole image absorbs these tiny flecks. The paint layer consists of a very thick ground layer, followed by colours which are superbly bright and well- combined in blocks: turqoise, pinks, red, white and brown. Subtle details, like the shadow falling on the chapel, the highlights in the thick locks of the Saint's beard, and the description of his brow, eyes and nose are well- carried out and preserved and add structure to the bold colouring. Inspection under UV light reveals mottled old varnish, restrengthening to the grey/brown in the chapel, to the saint's robes, to the bank in the lower right corner, dot retouching throughout the background, and restrengthening of the fine countours in his hands, beard, sleeves and eye. There is also a scratch measuring 2 cm in the lower beard. This striking panel is offered without a frame.
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