Attributed to Francisco de Herrera the Younger

With P. & D. Colnaghi, 1956,
where acquired by Paul Oppé,
his sale, London, Christie's, Master Drawings from the Oppé Collection, 5 December 2006, lot 60 (as School of Seville, 17th Century)

Very similar in technique and handling to The Penitent Magdalene with Angels, by Herrera the Younger, also from the collection of Carlos Alberto Cruz, sold in these Rooms in July this year.¹

Francisco de Herrera the Younger, also known as 'el Joven' or 'el Mozo', was the son of the artist, Francisco de Herrera the Elder (1576-1656).  The artist travelled to Rome, supposedly escaping his father's bad temperament, where he studied the ancient monuments.  In 1656 he became, along with Murillo, a Director of the Academy of Drawing in Seville and later in his career in 1672, he was appointed painter to Charles II in Madrid.

1. Sale, London, Sotheby's 8 July 2021, lot 96