Saint Benito of Palermo

(Jose Montes de Oca)

JOSÉ MONTES DE OCA
(Seville c. 1675 – 1754)
18. Saint Benito of Palermo
c. 1725–1750
Wood, polychromed, with glass paste (eyes)
122 cm (48 in.)
PROVENANCE: Private Collection, Milan
This remarkably expressive work represents Saint Benito of Palermo – one of the few saints in
the Canon of the Church who was of African origin – standing in a wholly frontal, yet
slightly relaxed stance. The arms are open, the left hand holding an open book, the right
hand posed to hold a quill, which is now lost. Concentrated within the round, compactly
modelled head, the face radiates all of the work’s powerfully emotive energy. In the wide, slightly
furrowed brow, piercing gaze, the straight nose, the pronounced naso-labial folds and philtrum leading
to the beautifully modelled, slightly parted lips the sculptor showed a virtuoso command of the wood,
managing to shape a wide variety of contrasting surfaces and volumes within a very small space. For
the eyes, the sculptor used inset glass paste to highlight the carved modelling, and to lend a startling
sense of immediacy to the facial expression.1 The closely cropped hair is carefully detailed to express
both a tactile lifelike quality, and to appear accurate and typical of the saint’s race. The figure is
completely covered by a loose, un-girdled cassock with long open sleeves that fall heavily in straight
channel folds and loops. The thick carapace effect of the drapery is relieved by subtle variations in the
drapery folds, particularly above the left knee, which is slightly advanced to suggest a contrapposto
pose, with the weight concentrated n the right leg. Equally, the cassock breaks in realistic folds to reveal
the shod feet, placed on the small oval base with toes pointed slightly out, which also adds a subtle
sense of levity and movement to an otherwise completely frontal pose. The cassock was completely
polychromed in a white or ivory tone, then covered in gilded floral motifs, and incised in narrow stripes
to add further texture to the surface and folds. Most of this polychromy in the cassock is relatively well
preserved. With respect to the artist’s approach to the facial features and the modelling of the left hand
holding the open book, we are reminded of the work of seventeenth-century Sevillian masters, most
particularly Juan Martínez Montañés and his pupil Juan de Mesa. However, the heavily channelled
almost shell-like cassock is treated with a completely different sensibility, and in this respect is closer to
later Sevillian examples, which were largely informed by the work of Pedro Roldán. This melding of
techniques in such an evident product of the eighteenth century as the present work points towards an
attribution to José Montes de Oca, a sculptor who worked during the first half of the eighteenth century
and whose work is typified by a somewhat antiquated and eclectic quality.
The researcher Lorenzo Alonso de la Sierra Fernández considered Montes de Oca to be ‘one of the most
attractive personalities of eighteenth-century Seville, fundamentally because of his ability to maintain a distinctive artistic personality that was based on aesthetic models from a century earlier’.2 Despite his
clear debt to the work of Martínez Montañés and Mesa, Montes de Oca achieved a true sense of the
original in his work since he did not produce mere copies. According to Antonio Torrejón Díaz, Montes
de Oca instead used these earlier Sevillian models as ‘simple starting points that [he] subsequently
transforms by combining evidently eighteenth-century criteria. It is through this synthesis that he
achieved the exquisite and refined sense of form, the linear command and technical virtuosity of scale
in which the monumental is never allowed to overshadow the purity of line and calm simplicity of the
visual language that is so characteristic of seventeenth-century sculpture’.3
The study of this artist is challenged largely by the scant documentary evidence for his life and works.
However, the monograph by Torrejón Díaz records around thirty documented works that were
commissioned between 1719 and 1745, and it is this study that provides us with the most
knowledgeable stylistic analysis of the work by Montes de Oca.
The emphasis on clearly defined forms, which marks this sculptor’s style – to paraphrase what the
author terms the ‘grafismos’ of Montes de Oca – is an important aspect of the present work. 4 In fact,
Torrejón’s Díaz’s stylistic analysis, read line for line, could almost serve to describe our sculpture: Sculptures by this artist achieve a sense of repose and stasis […] The elegant appearance of his figures is
accentuated by a soft contrapposto with the weight-bearing leg slightly advanced, the other remaining
relaxed and free […] Usually, the drapery is smooth, with few folds, or only spare channel folds, which
emphasizes the stillness of the image, but on occasion [appearing heavy] the faces [have] distinct features;
the nose is usually straight or slightly curved, the eyes and their sockets bulge slightly, and often have
lowered or slightly drooping lids, and are framed by accurately drawn eyebrows, either straight or slightly
bent […] The cheeks appear slightly sunken, the philtrum pronounced, the half-opened lips occasionally
reveal carved teeth or even the tongue […] The hands […] display a realistic treatment that describes the
bones and veins in detail […] the hair is usually worked very thoroughly, in the proto-Baroque style.5
Perhaps the closest comparison to the present work is the figure of Balthazar, in the Adoration of the
Magi group in the Church of San Felipe Neri in Cadiz (Fig. 1), in which the sculptor also showcased
his talents for depicting racial characteristics, and, in fact, facial features in general, such as the full,
beautifully modelled lips and the texture of the hair. On the whole, however, the physiognomy of Saint
Benito is actually closer to that found in the artist’s Marian subjects, such as the Dolorosa in the Church
of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores in Seville, attached to the monastic order known as ‘Los Servitas’,
which shares the same knitted, arched brow and accentuated philtrum and naso-labial lines (Fig. 2).
Equally, the saint’s slightly opened mouth, with visible teeth, can also been seen in several Christ figures
by this sculptor, such as the Ecce Homo in the Chapel of San Pablo in Cadiz (Fig. 3); the Nuestro Padre
Jesús Nazareno; and the so-called ‘Sin Soga’ in the Church of Santa Bárbara in Ástigi.6

There are other, secondary, stylistic traits present in this work that argue in favour of its attribution to
Montes de Oca, specifically the inclusion of inset eyes made of glass paste, which is a trait frequently
found in his sculpture. In fact, the contract for the artist’s commission to make a Saint Joseph for the
Parish Church of San Isidoro in Seville clearly stipulated that the artist should make ‘an effigy of the
Glorious Patriarch [Saint] Joseph, life size with the Infant seated in his arms, his eyes also of glass’.7
Regarding the polychromy, we know that Montes de Oca combined two traditional techniques in the
estofado decoration of his figures. First, he incised the patterns with a burin, and then added the floral
motifs with the point of the brush, affording particular care and attention to the latter process. The
result is a multitude of variations in line and tonality in the motifs that extend all over the uniform base
colour of the drapery. Montes de Oca has here employed the same technique as in the Inmaculada
(1719), now in the Church of the Conversion of Saint Paul in Cadiz (Fig. 4), and the Saint Joseph and
the Child in the parish church of Nuestra Señor de la Asunción de Bormujos, Seville (Fig. 5). This latter
work also shares with the present sculpture, the manner in which the feet are placed on the base: lightly
lifted and pointing towards the viewer. Furthermore, it is probable that during the years the artist was
working in Cadiz he established contact with Italian artisans and merchants who were working there,8
and this could explain both the origin of the present sculpture and its iconography, both of which are
distinctly Italianate.

Finally, in dating this sculpture, we must consider what would be its most likely subject: Saint Benito
of Palermo. Before the twentieth century, only five saints of recognized African origin were included in
the Sanctorum of the Church.9 In addition to Benito of Palermo, these were Saint Martin of Porres,
Saint Gregorio Moro, Saint Victor and Saint Maurice.10 With the exception of Maurice, none of these
saints had widely promulgated cults and therefore their attendant iconography is not often as
recognizable as that of other saints. Indeed, the original inclusion in the present work of an open book
and a quill does not in itself make it possible for us to identify this sculpture as an image of Benito of
Palermo, since both objects are fairly generic in representations of monastic saints. However, Benito’s
origins were apparently of special relevance to his hagiography, so much so he was also referred to as
‘Benito the African’.
Born in Messina in 1526 to Ethiopian slaves who were devout Christians, Benito or Benedict received
his manumission from their master in gratitude for their devotion and piety. While still a young boy,
Benito joined a newly formed confraternity of hermits, but when Pope Pius IV dissolved the association,
Benito entered the Franciscan Monastery of Santa María de Jesús at Palermo. Although he was only a
lay brother, his virtue so impressed his fellow monks that barely three years after entering the monastery
he was made superior, which he headed until his death in 1589. Though he was not beatified until 1743,
he was popularly revered in his own lifetime, and immediately following his death in 1589, a
widespread cult developed that was especially popular in Latin America, Italy and Spain.11 In 1611,
Phillip III commissioned a new shrine to Benito to be built in the friary church at Palermo, where he
was buried, and it was reported that when the monk’s remains were transferred to the shrine, they were
found to be uncorrupted, thus fuelling his veneration. As a Franciscan, Benito would have worn a
brown cassock, so the remains of the white polychromy on the draperies are initially somewhat
puzzling. Considered in connection to the Benedictines, however, we may recall that while the habit for
this Order was traditionally black, some reformed confraternities – the Cistercians, the Camaldolese
and the Olivetans – dressed in white robes. One final possibility is that this sculpture in fact represents
a fusion of two saints named Benito: the figure from Palermo and another, a Benedictine from Nursia,
thus combining the African features of the former with the monochromatic habit of the latter.12
Andalusian sculptors are well known for recognizing that changes or additions to the sacred canon
spelled fresh opportunities to create and produce new subjects, such as the life-size Saint Ignatius of
Loyola and Saint Francisco Xavier that Juan de Mesa sculpted for the Jesuit College of San
Hermenegildo in Seville around 1622, the year of the saints’ canonization.13
In short, while the iconography of this work may be somewhat inconclusive, its style is absolutely
defined. It evolved from seventeenth-century Andalusian models, which were then transformed by a
sensitivity and attention to expression that typifies the art of eighteenth-century Seville, and is utterly
autograph of José Montes de Oca.

1 The head was carved in two pieces so that to increase the
sense of realism the eyes were applied from the back and
then the two pieces of the head joined.
2 L. ALONSO DE LA SIERRA FERNÁNDEZ, ‘Nuevos datos sobre
la vida y obra del escultor José Montes de Oca’, in Atrio, no.
4, Seville 1992, p. 71.
3 A. TORREJÓN DÍAZ, El escultor José Montes de Oca, Seville
1987, p. 40.
4 Ibid., passim.
5 Ibid., pp. 42–43.
6 J. M. GONZÁLEZ GÓMEZ, ‘Imágenes del siglo XVIII en la
Semana Santa de Écija’, in Laboratorio de Arte, no. 2,
Seville 1989, pp. 153–155.
7 TORREJÓN DÍAZ, El escultor José Montes de Oca cit., p. 87.
8 See J. M. SÁNCHEZ PEÑA, Escultura genovesa. Artífices del
setecientos en Cádiz, Cadiz 2006, pp. 89–184.
9 In fact, the list of saints who originated from the African
continent is quite long, even by the seventeenth century.
However, most of these were Egyptians or North Africans,
and the colour of their skin was not a recognized part of
their iconography. Another possible identification of Saint
Martin of Porres was considered, but his inclusion in the
Order of Santo Domingo, with their very different black and
white habits, and the fact that he was not canonized until
1837, made this theory unsupportable.
10 Saint Maurice was a Roman general in the third century.
His name is a corruption of Moses, and through popular
etymology eventually morphed into Moro or Mauro, which
to some degree explains his representation as a black man
(see L. REAU, Iconografía del arte cristiano. Iconografía de
los santos (de la G a la O), Barcelona 1997, pp. 381–385).
11 AA. VV., Diccionario de los Santos, Madrid 2000, vol. I,
p. 339.
12 Often included within the ample diversity of
representations of Saint Benedict of Nursia in Abad (one of
the larger Benedictine communities) is an open book similar
to that in the present sculpture. This is a reference to the
Book of the Rule of Saint Benedict.
13 Likewise, in 1671, when King Ferdinand was canonized,
the canons of Seville Cathedral organized an entire series of
events and festivities. Apart from the architectural
monument known as the ‘Triomfo’, Pedro Roldán was also
commissioned to create a sculpture of San Fernando to
preside over the liturgical ceremony and then carried in a
procession on May 26 (see J. RODA PEÑA, ‘Los encargos
escultóricos de las instituciones sevillanas durante el reinado
de Carlos II’, in J. LUIS ROMERO TORRES and A. TORREJÓN
DÍAZ, Roldana, exhibition catalogue, Consejería de Cultura
de la Junta de Andalucía, Seville 2007, p. 80.
187
Finally, in dating this sculpture, we must consider what would be its most likely subject: Saint Benito
of Palermo. Before the twentieth century, only five saints of recognized African origin were included in
the Sanctorum of the Church.9 In addition to Benito of Palermo, these were Saint Martin of Porres,
Saint Gregorio Moro, Saint Victor and Saint Maurice.10 With the exception of Maurice, none of these
saints had widely promulgated cults and therefore their attendant iconography is not often as
recognizable as that of other saints. Indeed, the original inclusion in the present work of an open book
and a quill does not in itself make it possible for us to identify this sculpture as an image of Benito of
Palermo, since both objects are fairly generic in representations of monastic saints. However, Benito’s
origins were apparently of special relevance to his hagiography, so much so he was also referred to as
‘Benito the African’.
Born in Messina in 1526 to Ethiopian slaves who were devout Christians, Benito or Benedict received
his manumission from their master in gratitude for their devotion and piety. While still a young boy,
Benito joined a newly formed confraternity of hermits, but when Pope Pius IV dissolved the association,
Benito entered the Franciscan Monastery of Santa María de Jesús at Palermo. Although he was only a
lay brother, his virtue so impressed his fellow monks that barely three years after entering the monastery
he was made superior, which he headed until his death in 1589. Though he was not beatified until 1743,
he was popularly revered in his own lifetime, and immediately following his death in 1589, a
widespread cult developed that was especially popular in Latin America, Italy and Spain.11 In 1611,
Phillip III commissioned a new shrine to Benito to be built in the friary church at Palermo, where he
was buried, and it was reported that when the monk’s remains were transferred to the shrine, they were
found to be uncorrupted, thus fuelling his veneration. As a Franciscan, Benito would have worn a
brown cassock, so the remains of the white polychromy on the draperies are initially somewhat
puzzling. Considered in connection to the Benedictines, however, we may recall that while the habit for
this Order was traditionally black, some reformed confraternities – the Cistercians, the Camaldolese
and the Olivetans – dressed in white robes. One final possibility is that this sculpture in fact represents
a fusion of two saints named Benito: the figure from Palermo and another, a Benedictine from Nursia,
thus combining the African features of the former with the monochromatic habit of the latter.12
Andalusian sculptors are well known for recognizing that changes or additions to the sacred canon
spelled fresh opportunities to create and produce new subjects, such as the life-size Saint Ignatius of
Loyola and Saint Francisco Xavier that Juan de Mesa sculpted for the Jesuit College of San
Hermenegildo in Seville around 1622, the year of the saints’ canonization.13
In short, while the iconography of this work may be somewhat inconclusive, its style is absolutely
defined. It evolved from seventeenth-century Andalusian models, which were then transformed by a
sensitivity and attention to expression that typifies the art of eighteenth-century Seville, and is utterly
autograph of José Montes de Oca.
186
ALLE_Matthiesen@43-300 13-10-2009 10:39 Pagina 186

Private collection Milan

Acquired from The Matthiesen Gallery by The Minneapolis Art Institute