A Franciscan, possibly Saint Didacus of Alcalá, kneels next to Christ's empty cross and embraces its shaft. A strong light from the clouds above and behind falls vertically across the monk and onto the ground.
This preliminary drawing in black pencil reveals that the artist was still searching for a suitable composition, especially in the lower section of the clothing and the cingulum (the rope belt with knots that represent the vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity). It suggests that he was not following a pattern, but was developing an original design. The landscape and clouds are only suggested, and the left arm of the cross is unfinished, heightening the impression that this is an incomplete study.
The short pen strokes follow the contours and mark a few drapery folds, mostly in the area of the hands, feet, and face, in a manner close to that of Cornelis Schut III.[1] The facial expression, hands, and loosely sketched landscape recall the Saint Didacus of Alcalá in the Hamburg collection (inv. no. 38591, cat. no. 108)-considered an early work by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo—but they also have distinct similarities to Schut's drawing technique.[2]
It thus appears possible that this sheet could have come from Seville and the Academy ambience around Murillo and Schut. Its provenance is unclear; it was first listed in the inventory in 1921 as "Anonymous, Spanish 17th century, Didacus von Alcala, drawing (graphite/pen/ink), previously uninventoried stock."[3]

Jens Hoffmann-Samland


1. See, for example, Saint Francis in Ecstasy, 8 78 x 6 in. (225 x 154 mm), Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, inv, no. D 199. The curving lines of the cloud outlines are also altogether comparable, even though they appear more assured and more freely executed in this drawing.
2. Ceán Bermúdez noted the similarities between the drawing styles of Schut and Murillo.
See Ceán Bermúdez 1800, 4:359: “I have seen some drawings by him (Schut) in pen and India-ink wash that are confused with those of Murillo; and there are many drawings attributed to Murillo that are in fact by Schut."
3. Hamburger Kunsthalle, Kupferstichkabinett, inventory volume 1914-1923, 164.

Details zu diesem Werk

• Bibliographie

  The Spanish Gesture. Drawings from Murillo to Goya in the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Jens Hoffmann-Samland, with contributions by María Cruz de Carlos Varona, Gabriele Finaldi, José Manuel Matilla u. a., 2014, S. 265, Abb., Abb.-Nr. , Kat.-Nr. 195