Spanish school of the early seventeenth century.... Lot n° 5

Spanish school of the early seventeenth century. "Apostle". Oil on canvas. Relined. Presents repainting and restorations. Measurements: 146 x 79 cm; 160 x 93 cm (frame). This work offers us a full-length portrait of an elderly figure, probably identifiable as one of the apostles. The man is depicted dressed in a tunic and cloak with voluminous folds, thus reinforcing his monumentality and severity. He turns his face, covered with a bushy beard and moustache, with a serious, concentrated gesture, in which a certain melancholy can be perceived. The facial features, as well as the clothing and attributes (among them, the Holy Scriptures), allow us to suppose that it is one of the apostles. The figure stands out against a landscape background that, added to the physical and formal characteristics of the rest of the work, can be related to the Toledo school. At first glance, the treatment of color stands out above all. The tones are lightened by the light, especially its metallic grays and very worked, changing, as we see here in the background and on the face of the character.