Spanish school of the early 16th century. "Saint... Lot 29

Spanish school of the early 16th century. "Saint Luke". Painting on panel. It presents faults in the pictorial layer. Measurements: 38 x 26 cm. Saint Luke is writing the Gospels under the auspices of an ox, the animal that always accompanies and identifies him in the bosom of the tetramorphos. The Apostle Evangelist wears a silky emerald robe and a cloak trimmed with gold brocade. Despite the advanced nature of the period, stylistically this devotional painting is still anchored to late Gothic or pre-Renaissance postulates, as can be seen in the pre-eminence of the line and the gilded background on which the figure is set, which has been decorated with damask patterns. The smooth qualities are the result of an excellent use of colour in which the carmine contrasts with the gold. The countenance, however, has been resolved with fresh flesh tones, and is closer to Renaissance portraits. The saint's name is written in Latin at the top. Luke has been symbolised by an ox or a bull because his Gospel begins with the vision of Zechariah in the Temple, where animals such as oxen, calves and sheep were sacrificed. Luke's Gospel begins and ends in the Temple; the Acts of the Apostles is the second part of Luke's Gospel.