Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2019.

The Vision of Saint Anthony of Padua

Artist Claudio Coello (Spanish, 1642-1693)

CultureSpanish

Date1663

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions67 × 50 1/2 in. (170.2 × 128.3 cm)
Overall, Frame: 76 × 59 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (193 × 151.1 × 8.9 cm)

InscribedSigned and dated lower left: "CLAVDIO.FA.63"

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.542

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 205

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting depicting the moment when Anthony, upon explaining the mystery of the Incarnation to listeners in his chamber, receives a vision from the Christ Child. In the left foreground there is a bronze vase with white lilies. Behind the lilies is a red cloth draped over a table or alter. On the right side of the canvas is a man in the garb of the Franciscan monk with a tonsured head is on his knees, hands outstretched, and a halo. His face is upturned to receive the vision from the left side of the canvas. Puttis appear, mostly only faces, but the one in the center (which is supposed to represent the Christ Child) sits on a silver globe. The background suggests the interior of a cathedral, complete with classical column and arched bays moving off the right side of the canvas. ;

Label TextClaudio Coello Spanish, 1642–1693 The Vision of Saint Anthony of Padua, 1663 Oil on canvas Buoyed by fluttering cherubs, the Christ Child descends in a burst of color and light to answer Saint Anthony’s meditation on the Incarnation—the belief that God became human in the form of Jesus. Dynamic Baroque compositions like this one turned complex and often dry church doctrine into exuberant theater, dazzling viewers with the mysteries of the faith. Symbolism enhanced the drama, helping tell the story. The transparent globe that Christ straddles is an emblem of his worldly dominion. The lilies at left are one of Saint Anthony’s attributes and signify his purity. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.542 ProvenancePhilip IV, King of Spain, 1663-1665; Philip V, King of Spain, 1700-1746; Louis Philippe, Duc d'Orleans, King of France, 1830-1838; Paris, Galerie Espagnole, 1838-1848; Paris, coll. Drax (private); Newhouse Galleries, New York, 1954; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, 1971. Exhibition History"El Greco to Goya," Loan Exhibition, The Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada, April 16 - May 15, 1955. (Exhib. cat. no. 15). "Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Portland Art Museum, Oregon, March 2 - April 15, 1956; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, April 27 - May 27, 1956; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, June 12 - July 11, 1956; Los Angeles County Museum, July 26 - August 26, 1956; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota, Sept. 8 - Oct. 7, 1956; City Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, Oct. 19 - Nov. 18, 1956; William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Nov. 30, 1956 - Jan. 2, 1957; Detroit Institute of Art, Michigan, Jan. 18 - Feb. 17, 1957; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, March - April 14, 1957. (Exhib. cat. no. 16). "El Greco to Goya," John Herron Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, Feb. 10 - March 24, 1963; Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, April 19 - May 26, 1963. (Exhib. cat. no. 16). "Painting in Spain 1650-1700 from North American Collections," The Art Museum, Princeton University, April 18 - June 20, 1982; The Detroit Institute of Arts, July 18 - Sept. 19, 1982. "Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel 1820-1920," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, February 12 - May 16, 2021; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, June 11 - October 3, 2021. Published ReferencesBertina S. Manning, _Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.: An Exhibition Organized by the Portland Art Museum, Oregon_, exh. cat., Portland Art Museum, Portland, Or., 1956, no. 16. J.M. Madurell Marimon, "Varia." _Archivo Espanol de Arte_. Oct. - Dec., 1958, no. 124, p. 339, plate 3. "The New Spanish Gallery." _Chrysler Museum Bulletin_. Vol. 2, No. 4, June 1973. J. Baticle and C. Marinas. _La Galerie Espagnole de Louis-Philippe au Louvre 1838-1848_. Paris, 1981, no. 65, pp. 63-64. Edward J. Sullivan. _Baroque Painting in Madrid: The Contribution of Claudio Coello_. Columbia, Missouri, 1986, p. 103, no. P4. Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_ (Norfolk: The Chrysler Museum, 1991), 44, no. 35. David García Cueto, _Claudio Coello: Pintor, 1642-1693_ (Madrid: Arco/Libros, S.L., 2016) 33, fig. 6. Brandon Ruud and Corey Piper, Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel 1820-1920, exh cat. (New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2020)

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