Saint John of the Cross (San Juan de la Cruz), 1675

West Building, Main Floor — West Stair Lobby

Medium

polychromed and gilded wood with sgraffitto decoration (estofado)

Dimensions

overall: 167.96 x 93.35 x 74.3 cm (66 1/8 x 36 3/4 x 29 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Patrons' Permanent Fund

Accession Number

2003.124.1

Artists / Makers

Francisco Antonio Gijón (sculptor) Spanish, 1653 - after 1705

Image Use

This image is in the public domain.
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Provenance

Carmelite convent of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, Seville, from 1675 until 1810 or 1835.[1] private collection, Italy, from c. 1960; purchased 17 October 2003 through (Patricia Wengraf Ltd., London) by NGA.

[1] The convent that housed the sculpture, and the adjoining church, were sacked by French troops in February 1810 and it is likely that its works of art were dispersed, at least in part, at that time. The Discalced Carmelites returned to Los Remedios in 1814, but were definitively expelled in 1835 with the law of Exclaustración. If the sculpture had somehow remained in situ during the French sack, it would have been removed soon after 1835. See Maria Luisa Cano Navas, "Estudio historico-artistico del retablo mayor del convento de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de Sevilla," in Homenaje al Prof. Dr. Hernandez Diaz, Seville, 1982: 326.

Associated Names

Private Collection (NGA Former Owner)

Bibliography

2003: Richard, Paul. "'Saint John,' Renouncing Tradition.' Washington Post (October 19, 2003): N12.

2003: "Statue of John of the Cross Acquired by NGA." Art Daily (Thursday, October 23, 2003).

2004: "Contemporary art leads museum acquisitions in 2003." The Art Newspaper (April 2004).

2004: Culligan, Kevin. "St. John of the Cross." National Catholic Reporter (April 2, 2004): 81, repro.

2004: Luciano, Eleonora. "Gifts and Acquisitions." National Gallery of Art Bulletin 31 (Spring 2004): 7, repro.

2005: Peña, José Roda. "A 'St John of the Cross' attributed to Francisco Antonio Gijón: a recent acquisition at the National Gallery of Art, Washington." The Burlington Magazine (May 2005): 304-309, color repro.

2010: Dávila-Armero del Arenal, Alvaro, José Carlos Pérez Morales, and Carlos Maria López-Fe y Figueroa. Francisco Antonio Ruiz Gijón. Vol. 5, Grandes Maestros Andaluces, ed. Enrique F. Pareja López. Seville, 2010: 160-165, 179, 183, repro.

2015: "Art for the Nation: The Story of the Patrons' Permanent Fund." National Gallery of Art Bulletin, no. 53 (Fall 2015):22, repro.

2017: Dickerson III, C.D. "The Sculpture Collection: Shaping a Vision, Expanding a Legacy." National Gallery of Art Bulletin 56 (Spring 2017): 12-13, repro.

2017: Roldán, Manuel Jesús. "Francisco Antonio Gijón en Washington." Pasión en Sevilla, Noticias, http://sevilla.abc.es/pasionensevilla/actualidad/noticias/francisco-antonio-gijon-washington-117667-1506896592.html, accessed 2 October 2017.