Spanish school of the seventeenth century. Attributed... Lot n° 42

Spanish school of the seventeenth century. Attributed to FRANCISCO ANTOLÍNEZ Y SARABIA (Seville, around 1645 - Madrid, 1700). "Penitent Mary Magdalene". Oil on canvas. With label of the Service for the Defense of National Artistic Heritage. With label of Inventory of the General Directorate of Fine Arts. Measurements: 31.5 x 43 cm; 46 x 58 cm (frame). In this canvas, close to the aesthetic precepts of Francisco Antolínez, Mary Magdalene is represented as a penitent in the desert (not understood in the scriptures as such but as an isolated and uninhabited place), dressed in a simple sackcloth, probably barefoot, accompanied by her iconographic attributes; such as the crucifix, the sacred scriptures and the skull. Formally, the work combines the contrasting light treatment, chiaroscuro and based on earth tones typical of the period with a conception of the figure and the composition directly derived from the Sevillian school. The present painting shows elements inherited from the Baroque period, however, the softness of the forms, the measured composition and a certain luminism, show us the aesthetic advance of the painting, resulting in a more measured image, in which we are presented with a Mary Magdalene, reflective and not the dramatic image of the character. Brother of the painter José Antolínez, Francisco was a lawyer by profession, although his curiosity would lead him to become interested in many different subjects. He was thus introduced to the practice of painting, obtaining success with small format works generally starring small figures against a background of landscape or architecture. Ceán Bermúdez noted that after studying law in Seville he learned painting at Murillo's school, attending the academy established in the Casa Lonja of the same city, where he was recorded in 1672. That same year he must have moved to Madrid to meet with José Antolínez, although it is probable that after his death he returned to his native city for some time. Finally he will settle definitively in Madrid. Francisco Antolínez was able to make a living from painting, but in spite of this he did not sign his works, since he preferred to present himself as a lawyer. Antolínez shows himself to be heir to the Flemish style of Ignacio de Iriarte in his landscapes, and in the architectural backgrounds of Matías de Torres. Regarding his figures, they denote a clear Murilloesque character. Francisco Antolínez is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the Castrelos Museum in Vigo, the Provincial Museum of Ciudad Real, the Episcopal Palace of Huesca, the parish of Santa Ana de Brea de Aragón, the church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios in Zamora and other religious centers, public and private collections, etc. The author has conceived work that is completely dominated by the landscape, which becomes the protagonist of the image.