St. Paul

A small-sized panel, quite probably a predella, with the bust of St. Paul. The physiognomic characterisation of the face is one of the aspects that allows us to generically individualise the work of the painters who belonged to the workshop of Vasco Fernandes. Far from offering an idealised beauty, these portraits display a somewhat crude physiognomy in the modelling of the eyes or the long nose, denoting a highly precious analytical vision of the subject. St. Paul’s vague gaze and his half-open mouth give the figure a pious appearance. This was a formula that was first initiated by Vasco Fernandes and then followed by his collaborators and disciples.