"The Dream of Saint Joseph" notebook
Lined paper. Stapled binding. A5 (15 x 21 cm). 32 sheets (64 pages).
The Dream of Saint Joseph (1662) was a relatively frequent theme in Spain in the Golden Age, as it brought together the interest in the saint promoted by Saint Teresa and the deep-rooted devotion to Mary. Herrera el Mozo placed this scene outside, allowing the artist to demonstrate his best skills. Since his return to Spain before 1654, the painter had achieved extraordinary renown and widespread fame through his large compositions, in which one or more figures were projected against the light on breaks of glory that filled the pictorial surface with light and colour and dissolved the forms, something that was not incompatible with a complete mastery of drawing and composition.