Saint Elizabeth Portugal by Jose Gil Castro
Saint Isabel of Portugal, by Jose Gil Castro, in the Colonial Museum of St. Francis (1820)
Depiction of Saint Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal by Jose Gil Castro, in 1820.
Saint Isabel of Portugal is an oil on canvas from the year 1820, located in the Chapter House of the Museum of Colonial Art in San Francisco.
It was made by José Gil de Castro, known as “Mulato Gil”, who was born in Lima, Peru, on September 1, 1785 and died in the same city in 1837.
Between the years 1810 and 1825, approximately, the artist developed part of his work in Chile, earning himself the title of “painter of liberators.” He is considered by some to be the precursor of Chilean painting.
During his career, José Gil de Castro maintained a close bond with the Franciscans, who commissioned several works from him.
In Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, the artist represents the saint in full body, in a vertical format, observing a crucifix in her right hand. She wears the habit of the Poor Clares, which she collects and uses in part to hold a bouquet of roses, flowers that symbolize a passage in her history: When before being discovered by the king giving coins to the poor, they turned into roses, thereby avoiding the anger and scolding of her husband.
At his feet, to the left, is the scepter and the crown as a symbol of rejection of the throne, while to the right, at the same height and with the same purpose, appears the heraldic shield with the arms of the kingdom of Portugal, with yellow stripes. and red from the government of Aragon.
Santa Isabel is located on a mountainous terrain, with small houses, similar to the landscape of Santiago.
At the bottom of the canvas an inscription says: “St. Isabel Reyna of Portugal Patroness of the V.O.T of Penance of N.P.S Francisco de Santiago de Chile.”
In the background, at the top of the painting, you can see stormy clouds that the saint dissipates with golden light emanating from her body, similar to a burst of glory.
A curious fact is that it was not until 1976 that Gil de Castro's authorship of this work was discovered by chance, when a Franciscan religious observed and related the signature that appears discreetly on the canvas with the outstanding artist who portrayed the patriots.
Regarding the history of the saint, Isabel of Portugal was born in 1274 and died in 1336. In 1325 she was widowed and traveled to Santiago de Compostela, where she left her crown and joined the order of the Poor Clares as a tertiary sister.
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