Among the jewels that the exhibition "Sacred Art: God's presence in the world". that the Ulpiano Checa Museum offered until next January 15, 2013, are four baroque paintings attributed to Vicente Carducho and that were restored in 2010 by GRANDA.
This is the series of the Miracles of San Antoniofour paintings on loan for the exhibition from the Convent of the Franciscan Poor Clares of Griñón and that were carried out in the XVII century on oil canvas.
The four canvases presented multiple losses of both the preparation and the pictorial film that had been stuccoed and reintegrated in a previous intervention. In addition, the canvases were covered by a thin layer of dirt on the pictorial layer.
After an exhaustive study of each of the paintings, the deformations of the canvases were corrected, and the detached pictorial layers were fixed and consolidated. Suture threads were also placed and oxidized varnishes and repainting were treated, among other interventions.
Miracle of the Donkey of St. Anthony of PaduaThe work represents the miracle of the donkey, in which St. Anthony of Padua demonstrated the reality of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist before the mockery of the heretics. One of the saint's opponents proposed to keep his donkey locked up for three days in the stable without any food. After those days, they could give the donkey the fodder and the Eucharist. If the mule adored the Sacrament, the heretic would believe. When the required time had expired, the mule, at the behest of St. Anthony, adored the Eucharist.
It is a closed composition that is part of a series illustrating the saint's miracles. The scene takes place in an interior dimly lit by an oculus. It also uses notes of more intense color that contrasts with the more subdued general tonality. Dominance of the verticals in the composition.
Miracle of the Resurrected Young Man of St. Anthony of PaduaSaint Anthony went from Padua to Lisbon to free his relatives from an accusation of murder. When the judge did not listen to him, it was the corpse itself that stood up and affirmed that the saint's family had nothing to do with his death.
Closed composition with the use of muted ranges. The subject is treated with an incipient naturalism, enriched with brighter color notes. There is an approach to the tenebrist light. Dominance of the verticals in the composition, which are maintained in the background architectures, highlighting them for their sobriety.
Miracle of the severed foot of St. Anthony of PaduaSt. Anthony of Padua rebuked a penitent in confession that, for having kicked his mother hard, he deserved to lose the foot with which he had wounded her. The man, repentant, cut off his foot when he got home. Upon hearing of this, the saint quickly went to meet him and, making the sign of the cross, joined his foot to his body, and he was cured immediately.
Closed composition. Muted ranges with brighter color notes in yellow and blue. Theme treated with an incipient naturalism. The vertical compositional lines are interrupted by two central figures that describe a diagonal trajectory.
Scene from the life of St. Anthony of PaduaThe scene represents how St. Anthony of Padua, being invited to eat in a house on the Friday of Lent, turned the meat that was served to him into fish.
Stylistically it is related to the mysteries with which it forms the series. The composition remains closed and on this occasion, the horizontal lines of the table mark the contrast with the vertical ones. The amphora and the still life details denote a certain Flemish influence. The standing figures follow Italian models. Interior scene with almost neutral backgrounds.
Vicente Carducho (Florence, 1576-78; Madrid, 1638) was a painter and baroque art scholar of Italian origin, whose artistic activity was developed in Spain. He was the brother of Bartolomé, hired by Philip II for the great work of El Escorial, as a painter of frescoes and altarpieces.
Over time, Vicente Carducho became the most important most influential personality of the Madrid school of paintinguntil the arrival of Velázquez.
