San Lorenzo (1636)

Zurbarán, Francisco de (1598-1664)

San Lorenzo (St Lawrence)
1636
Oil on canvas, 292 x 225 cm
Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg

Saint Lawrence is a splendid example of the austere laconic style of Francisco Zurbarán, who from 1628 was the chief artist of Seville, famed for his work in many monasteries and churches. The foreground of this almost three-metre-high canvas is occupied by the figure of the deacon of the Christian church in Rome who was roasted alive by pagans on a huge gridiron – the attribute that the saint is shown holding. We know that a simple monk served Zurbarán as a model for this painting, but the ample deacon’s robes with a velvet dalmatic embellished with elaborate embroidery invested his figure with a pyramidal outline and a certain corporeal “majesty”. Due to the low line of the horizon, it appears to loom up before the viewer’s eyes, dominating the earthly landscape, while instead of the traditional halo the saint’s head with its upturned face is illuminated by a stream of light descending from heaven. (SHM)