FRANCISCO RIBALTA Solsona, Lleida (1565) / Valencia (1628)

Oil on canvas. Provenance: - Spanish noble collection. Bibliography: - MARCO, V., Baroque painting in Valencia (1600 - 1630), CEEH, Madrid, 2021, p. 431, Cat. No. 98. Francisco Ribalta was one of the great figures of Spanish Baroque painting, especially in the Kingdom of Valencia. There he practised a type of naturalistic painting that became part of the Valencian pictorial tradition, perpetuating itself over time for several decades after his death in 1628. His success lay in knowing how to create a painting of great plastic quality and charged with religious emotion, which effectively transmitted the message of the commissioners and which, through the contemplation of images with a real appearance, provided the faithful with a vivid religious emotion; achieving a perfect balance between the real and the supernatural. The unpublished work that we present here, in which we see Saint Mary Magdalene as a penitent, brings together all the aforementioned ingredients, being a perfect example of the best of his production. Her sad expression, caused by deep repentance, moves those who contemplate it, showing tearful eyes and tears that slide down her face. She is found in complete solitude, in a cave in the desert, with her arms extended in a gesture of mystical surrender, as a clear sign of acceptance of divine designs. She is accompanied by a book, the skull and the crucifix, as symbols of meditation. Coming from a noble collection, the restoration to which the work has recently been subjected has allowed us to compare its excellent state of conservation and to observe with greater precision Ribalta's technique in his mature stage; with a very light layer of preparation that allows the reddish preparation of the canvas to emerge in some parts. The almost sculptural volumes of the saint's head, as well as her expression and position, allow us to formally relate it to other works of his, such as, for example, the Alma en pena in the Museo del Prado (P001064). We know that Ribalta painted this subject on more than one occasion, but none of these works have been able to be located. One, of smaller dimensions, was in the collection of Don Pedro de Arce. Nor is it the famous Magdalene from the Parcent collection, as this is a landscape-format work, whose authorship was attributed to Juan Ribalta. A strong candidate is a Saint Mary Magdalene (Marco 2021. Francisco Ribalta, Cat. No. 98) that formed a pair with a Saint Peter, both penitents, and that as an original by Ribalta was given in 1661 by Ramon Sans de la Llosa, lord of Beniferri, to Jose de Castellvi, father of the Marquis of Villatorcas, passing thereafter to the collection of the Counts of Cervellon. Lost from the memory of the author of the painting, its quality meant that, together with its companion,It is believed that the painting was attributed to Jose de Ribera in later inventories. However, this assumption cannot be confirmed with complete certainty as its measurements do not appear in the documents consulted. This composition by Ribalta must have been a notable success in its time. Proof of this is the version made by Vicente Castello of the same theme which, kept in a private collection, was temporarily deposited in the Bancaja collection. This painting closely follows the model of Francisco Ribalta, but Castello, with his own formal language different from that of the master, gives it a greater decorative sense and greater dynamism, losing much of the religious emotion and mystical content of the Ribalta original. Measurements: 105 x 91 cm.