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Saint Paul the Hermit
by Mattia Preti
About the Artwork
After training in Rome in the 1630s and 1640s, Preti went to Naples where he continued working in a mode inspired by the work of Caravaggio. In this painting, dramatic lighting and intense naturalism depict the intersection of the heavenly and earthly realms. According to Catholic tradition, Saint Paul the Hermit fled into the desert to escape persecution from the Romans in the third century, and is revered as the first of many hermit saints. A raven brought Saint Paul a half a loaf of bread daily, which enabled him to survive to the age of 113 years. Preti depicted the saint looking heavenward in appreciation and awe of his heavenly provider.
Provenance
1969: Anonymous private collection, England (sold, Sotheby’s, London, March 26, 1969, lot 59, to Perretti); Perretti 1969: Julius Weitzner (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
Exhibition history
Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970). Baroque Imagery. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 1984-January 6, 1985).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Mattia Preti (Italian, 1613–1699)
- Date
- c. 1662–64
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 121 x 94 x 8 cm (47 5/8 x 37 x 3 1/8 in.); Unframed: 103 x 76.2 cm (40 9/16 x 30 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
- Accession no.
- 1969.109
More by Mattia Preti in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009351
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