St Augustine of Hippo

This powerful and emotionally-charged painting is still, despite its light colouring and sketchy brushwork, firmly rooted in the Baroque tradition, sharing many of the characteristics of the paintings executed by the artist during the 1740s. It shows St. Augustine, half-length and seated at a desk. The emotional intensity of this picture reflects a long iconographical tradition of depictions of the saint which stretches back to Botticelli’s fervent Ognissanti fresco.