Madrid School; 18th century. "Saint Aloysius Gonzaga". Oil... Lot 30

Madrid School; 18th century. "Saint Aloysius Gonzaga". Oil on canvas. With antique frame. Measurements: 102 x 75 cm; 115 x 90 cm (frame). On a neutral background, there is a male figure, dressed with rich silks and a mantle with the lining and the neck of white ermine. A nimbus on his head with five stars identifies him as a saint, and he holds a Crucified Christ in his hands, while a small angel makes the gesture of asking for silence by raising a finger to his lips and holding some lilies and a palm leaf, identifying the man as a martyr and emphasising his purity. Stylistically, the work shows the main characteristics of the Andalusian school in the colours, the position and anatomy of the saint, his position and face, the gentleness, delicacy and softness that characterises it, etc. Saint Aloysius Gonzaga was an Italian Jesuit beatified in 1605 and canonised in 1726. His father married a lady of Isabella de Valois while in the service of Philip II and, after the Battle of Lepanto (1571), he sailed to Tunis. Louis received communion from St. Charles Borromeo, and entered the Society of Jesus after ceding his rights as first-born son in 1583. He studied philosophy and theology and died at the age of 23 after contracting the plague while caring for the sick in the Rome epidemic of 1590-1591.