Sevillian school, second third s. XVII."Fernando El Santo".Oil on canvas.Relined. Overpaint.Vintage frame.Measurements: 84 x 64 cm .; 105 x 81 cm. (Frame).In Spanish Golden Age painting, King Ferdinand III is frequently depicted with the wolf sword in his right hand and the urbis mundi in his left. The present portrait follows this canonical model, probably inspired by Murillo's painting for the Cathedral of Seville. Stylistically it is inscribed in the Spanish baroque, with an intense play of light that enhances the brightness of the orb and the flesh tones. According to the usual iconography, Ferdinand is portrayed in middle age, with long hair over his shoulders, dressed in half armor and royal ermine cloak. The figure of the king does not yet wear the halo of sainthood, which could indicate a date immediately prior to his canonization.Ferdinand III the Saint is one of the greatest figures in the history of Spain, on a par even with Isabella the Catholic. His military exploits, which led him to project the Reconquest of North Africa, pale before his human virtues. He applied diplomacy with the Moorish taifas, avoiding war when possible, was pious in victory and respected Jews and Islam under his jurisdiction. He promoted law, art and letters and his reign left us the construction of the greatest cathedrals of Spain: Burgos, Toledo and probably León. His good judgment prepared the flourishing that was to come with his son Alfonso, who with such a background, was rightly wise.