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While El Greco is best known for his intense and spiritual religious paintings, he was also a perceptive and powerful portraitist. A skill we can observe in this portrait of Fray Paravicino, a close friend of the artist, who was an important theologian, orator, and poet.  Limiting the colors almost entirely to the black andContinue reading “Fray Paravicino”

On the occasion of the commemoration of the death of Luis Tristán, the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla has undertaken the restoration of this work, considered one of Tristán’s most important Marian representations, a model that was repeated by the artist on several occasions. The restoration process has made it possible to recover theContinue reading “An Immaculate Restored”

Dedicated followers of my posts will recall that 2024 marked the 400th anniversary of the death of the painter Luis Tristán (1580/1585 – 1624), who trained in Toledo as a disciple of El Greco. Thankfully the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla has kept the celebrations going with a delightful new display of his works.Continue reading “Tristán’s Franciscans”

Orchestrated by the Congregazione de Propaganda Fide and carried out by the religious orders, the activity of the missionaries created a dense network of relations that connected Rome to the entire globe. The Salus Populi Romani, disseminated through engraved and painted copies, was reproduced in various cultures and in different media, as attested by aContinue reading “Global catholicism”

The journey to Rome of Antonio Manuel Ne Vunda (1571-1608), the young ambassador of King Álvaro Il of Congo (1587-1614), was beset by many vicissitudes. Ne Vunda set out from the Kingdom of Congo in 1604, and during his journey was robbed by Dutch pirates before reaching Lisbon wounded and almost naked. The Spanish crown,Continue reading “Barocco Globale. Il mondo a Roma nel secolo di BerninI”

As Pope Leo XIV is today publicly installed into the Petrine Ministry, receiving the Pallium and The Fisherman’s Ring at the beginning of his Pontificate, the sense of responsibility must be truly terrifying. I thought I would therefore share this image by my beloved Zurbarán of Saint Peter appearing to the Mercedarian Saint Peter Nolasco.Continue reading “Two Peters”

One of the symbols that Pope Leo has chosen for his coat of arms is a flaming heart on a book. This is an emblem of the Order of St. Augustine, of which Pope Leo served as Prior General. The figure symbolically evokes Saint Augustine’s words in the Confessions: ‘Sagittaveras tu cor meum charitate tua’Continue reading “Flaming Hearts”

The 15th May is the Feast of San Isidro, the patron saint of Madrid. In this image by Bartolomé González we see the farmer -saint kneeling in prayer while angels have been sent to help him manage both his work and his prayer life.  González was born in Valladolid, and studied under Patricio Caxés andContinue reading “Viva San Isidro”

Pope Leo XIV has already spoken of his love for Mary, following in the footsteps of the great Pope Leo XIII who wrote no less than 11 encyclicals devoted to our Lady and her Rosary. So I thought I might celebrate the papal election with a few more Marian images, this one by Antonio deContinue reading “Pereda’s Immaculate Conception”

Nuestra Señora de Belén is one ot the patron saints of the Peruvian city of Cuzco. This painted representation is based on a famous sculpture that is paraded through the streets of Cuzco on the feast of Corpus Christi. After celebrations, the statue is returned to its niche above the altar at the Convent ofContinue reading “Nuestra Señora de Belén”