|
|
Birth of St. John
the Baptist
Portuguese workshop,
circle of Simão
Rodrigues (?)
Last quarter
of 16th century
Painting, oil on wood
103 cm (H) x 86 cm (W)
From the Santa Clara Convent in Funchal
MASF12 |
Painting in the Santa Clara Convent in Funchal, which, according to intuition, was originally in the chapel of St. John the Baptist.
The scene of the Birth of St. John the Baptist is shown in a Roman setting, with an aerial view of the scene and details of everyday life. In the foreground, emphasis is given to the Virgin, while in the background, St. Elizabeth lies on her canopy bed. The various planes are completed with the presence in the background of St. Joseph and Zachariah.
A relatively rare iconographic type in Portuguese painting, similar examples are found in the Machado de Castro Museum in Coimbra and in the Santa Clara Church of Évora.
Because of its stylistic affinities, the painting can be attributed to the atelier of Simão Rodrigues, especially in the way in which the Virgin is represented. Note the similarity with the Adoration of the Shepherds of the Church of the St. Domingos Convent of Elvas, as well as that of the Carmo College and the Vestry of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra.
This painting was recently studied by Isabel Santa Clara1.
1 Das Coisas visíveis às invisíveis, contributos para o estudo da Pintura Maneirista na Ilha da Madeira (1540-1620), Vol.I e II, Doctoral dissertation in the History of Art of the Modern Era, Universidade da Madeira, 2004. |
 |
|
