Saint Paul the Hermit

We are grateful to Professor Riccardo Lattuada for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs. He considers this an important early work, datable to circa 1655, when the artist was only around 20 years old. It shows the clear influence of his master, Ribera, and also relates to a pair of pictures of Saint Paul the Hermit and Saint Eustace in the Church of Santa Maria di Montevergine, Naples, which are of a similar date. A possible source of inspiration may have been Ribera's Saint Paul the Hermit (Baltimore, The Walters Art Museum).