Artwork
Saint Paschal Baylon in Ecstasy
Saint Paschal Baylon in Ecstasy is a chalk drawing by the Baroque artist Giuseppe Maria Crespi. It dates from 1700 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Giuseppe Maria Crespi, often called Lo Spagnuolo, produced a red‑chalk drawing of Saint Paschal Baylon around the turn of the 18th century. Executed on laid paper, the work captures a fleeting moment of religious intensity. It is part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection in Washington, D.C., and exemplifies Cresci’s late‑Baroque sensibility within the Bolognese tradition.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents the Franciscan friar Paschal Baylon in a state of ecstatic devotion, his arms outstretched and gaze lifted heavenward. Barefoot and robed, he appears absorbed in a spiritual vision, while two diminutive kneeling figures in the foreground suggest a communal prayer context, reinforcing the theme of collective reverence.
Technique & Style
Rendered entirely in red chalk, the drawing relies on delicate hatching and tonal modulation to model form and convey atmosphere. The muted background recedes, allowing the saint’s illuminated figure to dominate the picture plane. Crespi’s handling reflects Baroque concerns with drama and emotional immediacy, achieved here through line rather than color.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1700, the drawing remained in private hands before entering the National Gallery of Art. Its attribution to Crespi aligns with his documented shift from large religious commissions to more intimate studies, a transition that broadened his reputation beyond portraiture and narrative genre scenes.
Context
Crespi worked within the Bolognese School, a hub for artists who blended the dynamism of Roman Baroque with a more restrained, academic approach. By focusing on a solitary saint’s inner experience, the drawing mirrors contemporary Counter‑Reformation interests in personal piety and the visual articulation of mystical states.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giuseppe Maria Crespi (14 March 1665 – 16 July 1747), nicknamed Lo Spagnuolo ('The Spaniard'), was an Italian late Baroque painter of the Bolognese School.
Saint Benedict
Saint Francis with the Christ Child
Saint Anthony of Padua
The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception
The Vision of St. Francis of Assisi
Saint Anthony of Padua
The Christ Child Appearing to Saint Francis
Saint Francis Adoring the Christ Child
Female Saint (Saint Clare of Assisi or Saint Catherine of Siena?)
The Vision of Simon Stock
The Coronation of the Virgin
Apotheosis of a Saint