St. Francis (?) Interceding with the Virgin on behalf of a Female Saint

Juan Martín Cabezalero

about 1665–1670

Pen and brown ink, brown wash over black chalk, Pen, Ink, Wash

J. Paul Getty Museum

A religious scene depicts three figures in a celestial setting. A seated woman and a robed man are in conversation, while another figure kneels below in prayer. A small winged figure is in the upper right. This devotional drawing portrays an unidentified female saint experiencing a vision of a male saint, possibly Saint Francis, interceding between her and the Virgin Mary. The artist thoughtfully rendered facial expressions and garments such as the monk's robe and the Virgin Mary's mantle. The broken pen lines used for outlining, however, convey a sense of vagueness appropriate to the depiction of a spiritual vision. The execution of the hands, simply represented by three or four hulking fingers, further underscores the subject's ambiguity. The purpose of the obscure figure in the upper right corner, who remarkably displays both muscu