Spanish school, ca.1600.

Spanish School, ca.1600.
"Saint Lucia."
Oil on original canvas.
Presents punctures and restorations.
Measurements: 57 x 43 cm; 62 x 50 x 3 cm (frame).

Saint Lucia appears here portrayed half-length, with a serene and contained attitude, establishing a direct visual contact with the spectator. The dark and neutral background concentrates the attention on the figure, following the models of the devotional portrait of the transition between the late Renaissance and the beginnings of the Baroque.

The main iconographic attribute is the plate with the eyes, which the saint holds delicately. Far from a crude treatment of martyrdom, the painter opts for a sober and symbolic representation, emphasizing the contemplative and spiritual character of the image. This balance between hagiographic narration and devotional meditation is characteristic of Spanish religious painting at the turn of the century.

The work presents a soft modeling of the face and hands, with delicate light transitions and pearly flesh tones, heirs of the Renaissance tradition. The rich dress in reddish tones, treated with attention to the folds and decorative motifs, shows a taste for detail and formal elegance, frequent features in the workshops active in Castile and Andalusia at the end of the 16th century. At the same time, the dark background and the concentration on the figure anticipate the more austere and intimate language that would fully develop in the Spanish Baroque.

The work is part of the religious production of a period marked by the Counter-Reformation, in which painting fulfilled a didactic and spiritual function. The images of saints had to be clear, emotional and easily recognizable, encouraging private devotion.