Saint Francis (Antonio Fernández Arias)

Antonio Fernández Arias (c. 1614–1684) was a Spanish Baroque painter known for his religious compositions and early artistic maturity. Trained under Pedro de las Cuevas, a highly regarded Madrid painter and teacher, Arias demonstrated exceptional talent from a young age. According to the biographer Antonio Palomino, he received his first major commission at only fourteen years old: a retable for the Discalced Carmelites in Toledo, now lost.

By 1639, Arias had already established himself among the artistic circles of Madrid. That year, he joined a select group of painters commissioned to decorate the Golden Hall of the Royal Alcázar with large canvases. Of the works produced for this project, only the painting Charles V and Philip II survives today. In 1645, he opened his own studio in Madrid and went on to secure numerous commissions, primarily religious in nature. His work found favor with convent patrons, monastic communities, and the nobility, reflecting his ability to meet both devotional and ceremonial demands.

Among his most notable paintings are Christ Recovering His Clothing (1645, Convent of Las Carboneras, Madrid); Caesar’s Coin (1646, donated to the Monastery of Montserrat in Madrid); Saint Anthony of Padua (1650, Plasencia Collection, Bilbao); a tender Virgin and Child (c. 1655); and a moving Pietà (1658, Convent of Las Carvajalas, León). He also produced numerous depictions of the Virgin Mary, Gospel scenes, and saints, demonstrating a sensitive devotional style typical of Spanish Baroque spirituality.

Arias excelled not only in single canvases but also in large narrative cycles. Most notable among these is the series of eleven scenes from the Passion of Christ created for the cloister of the Convent of San Felipe el Real. The Museo del Prado preserves key works from this cycle, including Christ Bearing the Cross Meets Veronica and Christ Washing Peter’s Feet, both signed and dated 1657. The Prado also holds examples from two Apostolate series attributed to him, centered on Christ and the Twelve Apostles.

Remarkably for an artist of his time, Arias owned a substantial library, indicating a level of education and intellectual curiosity that set him apart from many of his contemporaries. Despite his success and refinement, his final years were marked by hardship. As Palomino recounts, he died in poverty in 1684 at the General Hospital of the Madrid court, leaving behind a significant yet often overlooked body of work within the Spanish Baroque tradition.