Spanish Colonial, Mexico, painted by the hand of Geronimo de Leon, known as the Painter of Miracles (El Pintor de Milagros), a retablo depicting San Francisco de Paula, dated April 10, 1906. Finely painted on heavy gauge tin, a retablo depicting San Francisco de Paula, the Italian saint who founded the Order of Minims or Hermits of Saint Francis in 1436 and infamously preached sermons about charity and humility to his pious followers, standing before a small chapel (to the left) set in a lovely landscape, holding a staff and Crucifix, with a lamb emerging from an oven with flames and plumes of smoke signifying his protection from fires (to the right), and the phrase Caritas Bonitas (Beautiful Charities) surrounded by abstract red flames and radiating golden light through celestial clouds in the upper left corner. Size: 14.25" L x 10.5" W (36.2 cm x 26.7 cm)

Geronimo de Leon is highly regarded for his painterly style, adept modeling of figures, and ability to capture landscape settings with wonderful atmospheric (aerial) perspective. Note also this master's attention to detail - how he can capture the various textures of the saint's hair, his fleshy face and hands, the furrows over his brow, the voluminous folds of his robe, his twisted Franciscan belt made of rope, and the animated movement of the lamb emerging from the fiery oven.

San Francisco de Paula is credited with miraculous cures, resurrecting the deceased, protection against fires, comfort for the maimed, the blind, and otherwise disabled, and preventing plagues. In Mexican paintings, San Francisco de Paula is depicted as a friar with the word Caritas or Caridad, oftentimes surrounded by flames, in his vicinity - shown here at the upper left. He received his name following a visit with his parents to the shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi. At a young age of fifteen, San Francisco de Paula became a hermit and elected to reside in a cave near Reggio. Here he is shown as is customary with a lamb emerging from an oven with flames and plumes of smoke to the right and architecture suggestive of Reggio to the left.

The inscriptions accompanying the painting read, "San Francisco de Paula. Confesor y fundador de la Orden de Minimos" at lower center and "Caritas Bonitas" at upper left. Dated "Abril 10 de 1906" on the lower right.

Provenance: private California, USA collection

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#134970

Expected surface wear commensurate with age - slight pigment losses and areas of oxidation as shown. Otherwise excellent.