“I was going to see a painting by Ribera”: Nineteenth-century interpretations of lo Spagnoleto and his Pietà (1637) from the Charterhouse of San Martino (Naples)

Abstract

Unlike other Spanish masters, art historiography has devoted limited attention to the contemporary critical reception of José de Ribera (1591-1652). This study examines nineteenth-century testimonies —primarily Spanish— regarding his most esteemed work during this period: the Pietà (1637) of the Charterhouse of San Martino (Naples). First, we explore how, within the European and American context prior to the 1908 publication of August L. Mayer's monograph on lo Spagnoletto, a “black legend” surrounding the painter was established, based on artistic literature from preceding centuries, particularly Bernardo de Dominici’s account (1742). Subsequently, we analyze nineteenth-century travel guides that focused on Ribera’s paintings preserved in that charterhouse and contributed to their dissemination. Finally, we present a collection of testimonies —mostly unpublished— related to the Pietà of San Martino, highlighting the qualities that made this painting Ribera’s most admired work during the nineteenth century and examining how the oeuvre of this Naples-based artist was interpreted from Spain through a nationalist lens, affirming the painter as a fundamental figure in the Spanish pictorial tradition and refuting certain myths about his life.