Saint Paul the Hermit
Mattia Preti (Italian, 1613–1699)
c. 1662–64
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Framed: 121 x 94 x 8 cm (47 5/8 x 37 x 3 1/8 in.); Unframed: 103 x 76.2 cm (40 9/16 x 30 in.)
- Culture
- Italy
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
After training in Rome in the 1630s and 1640s, Preti went to Naples where he continued working in a mode inspired by the work of Caravaggio. In this painting, dramatic lighting and intense naturalism depict the intersection of the heavenly and earthly realms. According to Catholic tradition, Saint Paul the Hermit fled into the desert to escape persecution from the Romans in the third century, and is revered as the first of many hermit saints. A raven brought Saint Paul a half a loaf of bread daily, which enabled him to survive to the age of 113 years. Preti depicted the saint looking heavenward in appreciation and awe of his heavenly provider.
