Saint Onufrius
Jusepe de Ribera·1700
Historical Context
The depiction of Saint Onuphrius attributed to Ribera and dated around 1700 likewise falls after Ribera's death in 1652 and represents the continuation of his tradition. Saint Onuphrius was an early Christian hermit who lived naked in the desert for sixty years, his body covered only by his long beard and hair, and was found in extremis by the monk Paphnutius. The subject of the desert hermit, emaciated and otherworldly, was ideally suited to Ribera's brand of austere, psychologically intense religious painting, and he treated it in authenticated works during his career.
Technical Analysis
The gaunt, bearded figure of Onuphrius would be rendered in the Riberesque manner with extreme chiaroscuro — the saint's emaciated body and weathered face emerging from near-total darkness into a shaft of light. The rough texture of skin, beard, and dried leaves would be depicted with the material intensity Ribera brought to all his ascetic subjects.
