Saint Philip

Saint Philip at the Prado, another in the apostle series of around 1630, presents one of Christ's original disciples. The series demonstrated Ribera's ability to create twelve distinct, individualized portraits within a consistent devotional framework. Ribera painted his saints with unflinching naturalism rooted in his early study of Caravaggio's Rome before settling in Naples in 1616. Working under Spanish viceregal patronage, he produced devotional images combining brutal physical realism w...

The apostle's particular physiognomy and expression differentiate him within the series. Ribera's naturalistic approach gives each apostle a convincing individual identity.