FRANCISCO DE HERRERA "THE VIEJO" Seville (1590) / Madrid (1

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated in the lower left corner. Bibliography: MARTÍNEZ RIPOLL, A., Francisco de Herrera “The Elder”, Seville, 1978, P.89 and P.91, plates 81 and 82; PÉREZ SÁNCHEZ, AE and NAVARRETE PRIETO, B., “On Herrera the Elder”, in Archivo Español de Arte, LXIX, 276, Oct.-Dec., 1996, p. 378, fig. 25. Francisco de Herrera the Elder is one of the great figures of the Sevillian school of painting, serving as a bridge between the Mannerist painters and the so-called generation of the great masters. His influence would reach artists of the stature of Francisco de Zurbarán, a painter who absorbed the chromaticism of his brushstrokes and the monumental tone of his figures. This is also the case with Murillo, as seen in the work at hand, whose child models have been described by art critics as precursors to his own. This important canvas, Signed and dated by Herrera in 1641, should be considered in relation to the artist's homonymous works held in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum (1648) and the National Museum of Budapest (1645), which was painted for the upper choir of the Discalced Mercedarian convent in Seville. All of them share a similar way of presenting Saint Joseph with the Child, reflecting the renewed interest in Josephite devotion during the 17th century. In a beautiful landscape, Saint Joseph holds the Child Jesus in his lap, displaying a feeling of affection and paternal protection. A certain expression of concern can be observed, foreshadowing the future Passion; This idea is also reflected in the painting, as the Christ Child carries the crown of thorns in his hand. The work displays Herra the Elder's typical brushstrokes and brilliant color palette, in which the luminous yellow of the cloak stands out against the dark background. Alfonso Pérez Sánchez and Benito Navarrete Prieto, in their study of this painting, highlighted its energetic execution and superb quality. Dimensions: 160 x 113 cm.