spanishbaroqueart:SAINTS & FASHION Bernardino de Villegas, Jesuit priest, against the Baro
spanishbaroqueart: SAINTS & FASHION Bernardino de Villegas, Jesuit priest, against the Baroque depiction of virgin martyrs and saints in the arts - 1625 text (vs.) Francisco de Zurbarán’s series of paintings of female saints: “Is there anything more indecent than those virginal saints dressed in such profane attire, with so many pendants and such finery, that not even the wealthiest ladies wear? Sometimes, even a man might doubt whether to worship them as St. Lucy, or St. Catherine, or to glance away to avoid seeing the profanity of their garments, given that with their dresses and ornaments they do not seem heavenly saints, but earthly ladies. St. Catherine is not shown sword in hand, nor St. Lucy with her eyes on a plate, so nobody would say they could be saints, nor the most honest virgins, according to their gowns and garments in which they have been dressed.” Original text: “¿Qué cosa más indecente que (…) unas santas vírgenes vestidas tan profanamente, y con tantos dijes y galas, que no traen mas las damas más bizarras del mundo? Que a veces duda un hombre, si las adorará por santa Lucía, o santa Catalina, o si apartará los ojos por no ver la profanidad de sus trajes: porque en sus vestidos y adornos no parecen santas del cielo, sino damas del mundo. Y a no estar santa Catalina con sus espada en la mano, y santa Lucía con sus ojos en el plato, por lo que toca al vestido y traje galán con que las visten, nadie dijera que eran santas, ni vírgenes honestísimas, como lo fueron.” (Source: Bernardino de Villegas, “La esposa de Christo: Instruida con la vida de Santa Lutgarda virgen, Monja de S. Bernardo" (1625). Libro Quarto - Cap. XVIII - p. 530) -- source link