Artwork
Santa Inés
Santa Inés is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Francisco Pacheco. It dates from 1608 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
She wears a fancy dress with gold embroidery and a red skirt, plus a yellow cloak.
A woman stands holding a small lamb in her arms. She wears a fancy dress with gold embroidery and a red skirt, plus a yellow cloak. Her hair is covered by a crown of leaves, and she has a soft, calm face. The background looks like a garden with trees and bushes.
The lamb she holds is often a symbol in religious art. The artist signed the painting with the year 1608.
Look up chiaroscuro to see how light and shadow create depth in paintings.
Subject & Meaning
Francisco Pacheco's 1608 painting depicts Saint Agnes of Rome, a central figure in religious art. The work is characterized by its inclusion of a gemstone, which serves as a specific visual element within the composition. As a religious genre piece, the artwork functions as a devotional representation of the martyr, utilizing the stone to contribute to the overall iconography of the saint.
The subject is presented in an oil-on-panel format, emphasizing the spiritual significance of the figure through traditional artistic conventions of the period.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on wooden panel. Pacheco applied oil paint to the panel surface, a technique typical of early seventeenth-century Spanish religious art. The composition portrays Saint Agnes, depicted as a young woman with a lamb, emphasizing her virgin martyrdom through modest attire and symbolic attributes.
The painting measures 103 cm in height by 44 cm in width and remains in its original support without recorded alterations. Its current condition is stable, though minor surface wear is noted in conservation records.
History & Provenance
Santa Inés is an oil painting on panel by Francisco Pacheco, dated 1608. It depicts Saint Agnes of Rome and belongs to the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it is currently held. The work measures 103 cm in height and 44 cm in width, and its medium is recorded as oil paint on panel.
No additional information about a commission, prior ownership history, or successive provenance transfers is documented in the available sources.
Santa Inés is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado. According to the work's Wikidata record, the painting is located at the Madrid museum and forms part of its holdings. No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Created in 1608 by Spanish painter Francisco Pacheco, this oil on canvas presents a devotional scene centered on a young woman cradling a lamb. The figure is adorned in a richly embroidered gold bodice, a red skirt, and a yellow mantle, while a leafy crown rests on her head. A tranquil garden with trees forms the backdrop, lending a serene atmosphere to the composition.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francisco Pérez del Río (bap. 3 November 1564 – 27 November 1644), known by his pseudonym Francisco Pacheco, was a Spanish painter, best known as the teacher of Alonso Cano and Diego Velázquez, as well as the latter's…
