When this painting first appeared at auction in 1998, theretofore unrecorded, the saint depicted was believed to represent Saint Catherine of Siena. Following its inclusion in three major exhibitions in Spain in the years hence, however, she has now been identified as Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi, a Florentine mystic of the Carmelite Order. Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi was beatified in 1626 and canonised in 1669, but her importance as a mystic was established in a biography published in 1609, only a couple of years after her death. This told of the Florentine noblewoman-turned-nun's practice of asceticism and prayer, through which she sought to commune with Christ's suffering during His Passion, leading her to experience numerous visions and ecstasies.
Cano received a commission in 1628 from the Carmelite convent of San Alberto in Seville, for an altarpiece dedicated to the Life of Saint Teresa and it may be assumed that the present work formed part of this, along with other relatively small-scale canvases, including The Appearance of the Crucified Christ to Saint Teresa and The Appearance of the Risen Christ to Saint Teresa (both in the Museo del Prado, Madrid).1 The figure's pose here, the way she is lit, and the perspective slightly from below all suggest that the painting was probably situated in the upper right section of the altarpiece. Such a layout was typical of Sevillian retables from the 1620s and 1630s, in which central paintings or sculptures were surrounded by smaller figures relating to the narrative scene or relevant religious order. The Carmelites were very active in commissioning works that were intended to contribute to and assert the history and spirituality of the order, and Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi was one of their most celebrated figures, embodying the corresponding ideals of the Counter Reformation.
Cano entered the Sevillian studio of Francisco Pacheco in 1616 (where he met and befriended the young Velázquez), and this painting reflects the influence of his master, who advocated the importance of drawing over colour. The strong sculptural quality of the saint's figure, as if set in a niche, illuminated from the left, and against a dark background, also owes a debt to the highly spiritual paintings of Francisco de Zurbarán, who was likewise working in Seville at the t.mes . The saint has an expression of intense introspection, holding and wearing the instruments of Christ's Passion, which she contemplates with a stillness that is heightened through Cano's combination of naturalism and plasticity of form. The juxtaposition of her delicately rendered hands with the stark white folds of her habit, for example, is particularly powerful, and the focus of the saint's downward gaze invites the viewer to share in her devotion.
This painting was one of Sir Peter Jonas’s favourite paintings. After he acquired it in 1998, the canvas needed restoration and Peter closely followed the conservation work, visiting Zahira Veliz’s studio on several occasions. He was very proud that the Cano was subsequently requested for three major exhibitions in Spain (see under Exhibited).
1 Inv. nos P-8152 and P-8153; https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collects
ion/art-work/the-crucified-christ-appears-to-saint-teresa-of/c4cae3b7-0518-4cbc-985a-5b43ed3fc601 and https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collects
ion/art-work/the-crucified-christ-appears-to-saint-teresa/5dfdae26-e07b-4acf-aad4-a53bcfc1575f