Ignacio de Ríes

IGNACIO DE RÍES (Seville, ca. 1616 - ?, 1670).
"Prayer in the Garden".
Oil on copper.
Work referenced in Delenda, O. "Zurbarán. The sets and the workshop". Volume II. Hispanic Art Foundation, Madrid 2010 p. 383.
Measurements: 30.5 x 20 cm; 40 x 29 cm (frame).
The figure of Christ in this devotional copper keeps great similarities with the representation of Jesus in "The Tree of Life" of the cathedral of Segovia, painted by Ríes. The image depicts Jesus in the Garden of Olives at the moment when the angel comforts him, while his disciples Peter, John and James sleep beside him (Matthew: ch. 26 v. 37; Mark: ch. 14 v. 33). The Gospels narrate that, distressed by a strange sadness, Jesus went to pray on the Mount of Olives, where the apostles followed him. Once there, Jesus withdraws to one side to pray, the moment of the crucifixion becoming present to him. Thus, this episode begins the bloody Passion in the soul of Christ. The apostles fall into a deep sleep, and an angel appears to Jesus to comfort him. In fact, this episode alludes to the greatest temptation of Jesus' life, the last of all: knowing his destiny, he can either flee from his enemies or continue to fulfill his divine mission, risking his life (Luke: 22, 39- 46 ). Which narrates how Jesus, on his knees, prayed, saying: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; but not my will, but yours be done". Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and comforted him. And in agony, he persisted in his prayer. His sweat became like thick drops of blood falling to the ground. Rising from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them asleep with sorrow; and he said to them, "How is it that you are asleep? Rise and pray that you may not fall into temptation."
Ignacio de Ríes was a Spanish painter, son of the Flemish painter Mateo de Ríes, from whom he possibly received his first artistic training. Between 1635 and 1645, approximately, he is documented as an official in Zurbarán's workshop, being considered one of his most important disciples. His work is characterized by a very eclectic style strongly influenced by Zurbarán's painting, as can be seen in the use of chiaroscuro and a descriptive technique that pays great attention to the qualities of the objects, among other aspects. Likewise, to create his compositions he frequently resorted to Flemish prints by authors such as Aegidius Sadeler II or Jeronimus Wierix. Although his stylistic evolution is very limited, we can place in a first stage those works more attached to the style of his master -such as the San Miguel Arcángel (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)- and in a second stage those in which he uses a looser brushstroke and in which the influence of Murillo's painting can be appreciated, such as the Asunción de la Virgen, of 1661, for the church of San Bartolomé in Seville. Around 1653 he painted the most important work of his career: the paintings for the chapel of the Immaculate Conception in the cathedral of Segovia, commissioned by Pedro Fernández Miñano y Contreras to decorate the space that would serve as a funeral chapel for his family, which determines that the predominant message of the whole revolves around repentance and penitence. Of all of them, the most outstanding is The Tree of Life, not only for its workmanship but also for its iconography, representing Christ's warning of the imminent arrival of Death to a group of men and women who, placed at the top of the tree, appear to be committing different capital sins. The Prado Museum preserves by his hand King David, a work of great quality that, both stylistically and iconographically, can be related to Zurbarán and his series on the sons of Jacob (Auckland Castle, Durham).