The catalogue entry in the catalogue for the Madrid exhibition of 1980 and the Corpus entry[1] state that this “Penitent Saint” holds a lightly sketched cross in his left hand and strikes his bare chest with his right. A closer examination of the sheet indicates that he actually holds a whip for self-chastisement; the object in his left hand is simply not clearly identifiable, perhaps a stone. In spite of the feminine traits, including the narrow head and long, wispy hair, the drawing was clearly drawn from a male model. Once again, the artist's principal interest is the rendition of the heavy folds of the garment, especially where they bunch up on the floor around the knees.

Gabriele Finaldi

1. Pérez Sánchez (dir.) 1980 and Angulo Íñiguez and Pérez Sánchez 1985, respectively,

Details about this work

• Provenance

  [José Atanasio Echeverría]; Julian Benjamin Williams, Seville (d. 1866); John Wetherell (?) (d. 1865); Horatio/Nathan Wetherell (?) (until 1874); Frederick William Cosens, London (from 1874 to 1890); Sotheby's, London, auction of the property of Frederick William Cosens (from November 11 to 21, 1890); Bernard Quaritch Ltd., London (from November 1890 to July 1891); acquired by the Hamburger Kunsthalle (July 14, 1891).

• Bibliography

  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. 262, Abb., Abb.-Nr. , Kat.-Nr. 188

  La colección de dibujos españoles en el Museo de Hamburgo, August Liebmann Mayer, 1920, S. 132-133, Abb.-Nr.

  Die Spanischen Handzeichnungen in der Hamburger Kunsthalle zu Hamburg, August Liebmann Mayer, 1918, S. 115, Abb.-Nr.

  Spanische Zeichnungen von El Greco bis Goya, Wolf Stubbe; Hamburger Kunsthalle, 1966, Abb.-Nr. , Kat.-Nr. 218

  El dibujo español de los Siglos de Oro, Pérez Sánchez; Ministerio de Cultura, Dirección General del Patrimonio Artístico, Archivos y Museos, 1980, Abb.-Nr. , Kat.-Nr. 272

  A Corpus of Spanish Drawings, vol. III Seville School 1600 to 1650, Angulo Íñiguez and Pérez Sánchez; Herausgeber: Harvey Miller Publisher, 1985, Abb. S. pl. LXX, Abb.-Nr. , Kat.-Nr. 243

  Spanische Kunst von Greco bis Goya, Hugo Kehrer, 1926, S. 219-221, Abb.-Nr.