About the Work
A major new acquisition at the Städel Museum – ‘Saint James the Greater’ – is an early work by the painter Jusepe de Ribera, who originally came from Spain but worked in Italy. He painted this picture around 1615/16, towards the end of his stay in Rome. Ribera, who is among the first and most important Caravaggisti, further developed Caravaggio’s revolutionary new art with his own distinctive approach. Here, we come face to face with a monumental half-figure with an almost sculptural presence. The apostle stands in front of a dark wall and is illuminated by a cone of light entering from the top left of the picture. In his right hand he is holding his attribute, the long pilgrim’s staff, while in his left he clasps a book. The insignia pinned to his robe gleams in the light and serves as another reference to the saint’s pilgrimage. His bright red cloak has a voluminous quality, its folds forming into a beautifully shaped range of hills and valleys. Yet the distinctive style of Ribera’s art shows itself in the way the visual impact of the cloak is in turn offset by the figure itself. James’ head is inclined to the side and it is this feature which brings into play yet another facet of the saint. The gentleness of his face creates a subtle contrast to the power expressed in his physique. This ambivalence between outward appearance and inner epiphany, between presence and rapture identifies the painting as a carefully considered masterpiece, a sophisticated example of Ribera’s early work.
