"Saint James the Greater" potstand

Melamine with cork base. 16 x 16 cm.

In Baroque society, saints were assigned a primary role as protectors and intercessors of the Catholic faithful. Echoing this religious sentiment, Reni developed an exceptional ability to depict them in a beautiful and moving manner. It was in the independent representations that the artist was able to project all his sensitivity, dealing with a concept in which he particularly shone: that of the beauty of the body beyond youth. Wrapped in an ochre cloak, we can see this delicacy in the detail reproduced in this potstand of Saint James the Greater (ca.1626).