Francisco Collantes

FRANCISCO COLLANTES (Madrid, around 1599 - 1656).
"Penitent Magdalene".
Oil on canvas. Re-tinted.
It presents restorations.
Measures: 110 x 168 cm; 129 x 187 cm (frame).
We see in this canvas a religious representation taken as an excuse to represent a wide landscape developed in depth, with an asymmetrical composition closed in the right area by a dark finish of indeterminate shape, where the figure of Mary Magdalene rests. This composition is typical of the work of the Baroque painter Francisco Collantes, who was active in Madrid and specialised in the genre of landscapes with figures, and is similar to many of the artist's works such as "The Repentance of Saint Peter" in the Museo de Bellas Artes da Coruña or Landscape with the Crucifixion of Saint Peter in the Museo del Prado collection. Mary Magdalene is depicted lying half-naked with her hair flowing over her chest and holding the cross in one of her hands. This is a painting with a high quality of drawing, firm and delicate, with elegant forms softened by a very nuanced colour, rich in glazes and soft gradations. On the expressive level, the beauty and emotion of the saint's face stands out, leaning to one side, with her large dark eyes turned upwards towards God, her mouth open and her cheeks flushed with mystical emotion.

This work probably belonged to Don Bartolomé Barrilaro, as in 1651 his inventory referred to a Mary Magdalene by Francisco Collantes, of the same size. The characteristics of the work indicate that it was intended for a high area, perhaps above a door or window, so that it would probably form part of a larger pictorial ensemble, in which it would be paired with other works of saints. This particular image is inspired by models by Lucas Vosterman I, itself taken from the composition by Gerad Seghers in the collection of the National Gallery of Washington. Francisco Collantes was a Spanish Baroque painter of whom few documentary references have been found, specialising in landscape painting (sometimes also featuring figures). Old sources consider him to be a native of Madrid, while others consider him to have been born in the city; some place him as a disciple of Vicente Carducho. His specialisation in the genre of landscape painting makes him a striking artist in the Spanish context, where such experts were not common, unlike in Italy and Flanders. However, he was also highly appreciated for his work in other areas of painting (he also worked on religious themes, sometimes dealing with landscapes with these subjects in small sizes). Stylistically he was familiar with the Roman tendencies of the first decades of the 17th century, often maintaining and employing Nordic models. Collantes was one of the few 17th-century Spanish painters known in Europe at the time, and one of his works was in fact acquired by Louis XIV. He is now represented in the Prado Museum, as well as in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, the National Gallery of Denmark and the Louvre, among other collections.