Mid-18th-Century Italian School, Portrait Of Saint Francis De Sales

Mid-18th-Century Italian School, Portrait Of Saint Francis De SalesThis mid 18th century Italian oil painting depicts Saint Francis de Sales (1567 1622), Bishop of Geneva, in prayer. It was previously owned by Prior Ottmar Zwiebelhofer of the Benedictine Abbey in Ettenheimmnster, Germany and thence by descent through his family. Saint Francis de Sales is the patron of writers, journalists and teachers. Born at Sales Castle in Savoy, France, as Francis Bonaventure, De Sales defended the Catholic doctrine amid a time

Housed in a good later frame with a distressed look

he made the acquaintance of JMW Turner (1775-1851) and the pair struck up a lifelong friendship

the 19th-century art critic

these comparisons were not by design - he simply found a style he believed in

That being to downplay the temporary nature of wealth by emphasising the fundamentals of life

1890Labels & Inscriptions: Gallery label on reverse

the sea shimmers with a calm serenity

There’s never a soul present

He trained within two traditional environments

Vermehren spent time absorbing the rich artistic heritage of flourishing cities such as Florence

Märtens often painted the Alps

1750 Provenance Holland Condition