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XIII
Eugenio Cajés Madrid 1574 – 1634
The Martyrdom of Saint James the Younger
1627
Oil on canvas signed and dated ‘EUGENIUS CAGEXIUS/CATHOLICI REGIS PHILIPPI 4/ PICTOR FECIT 1627
’ 167 x 128 cm Following the the early training with his father and subsequent
travels through Italy Cajés began working for Philip III
in in 1608 later becoming painter to the King in in in in 1612 His earliest works demonstrated a a a a highly mannered style while those painted in in his his latter years re re ected a a a a a a a move towards greater naturalism This Martyrdom painted while in in in his 50s shows Cajés working with great austerity and simpli cation of gures while still maintaining an an extremely colourist taste and vibrant brushwork Given the size and iconography of this canvas which was uncommon in in baroque Spain it must have been designed for a a a a prestigious religious establishment either to preside over a a a private altar altar or or as part of a a a a a a a a more extensive and complex altarpiece Unfortunately the the nature of the the commission is is to date unclear but the the dynamic composition which juxtaposes the the agitated violence of the the the central group with the the the stillness of the the the bystanders and and mannered style make this a a a a signi cant work of art in its own right Acquired by the Musée du Louvre Paris