Oil on canvas. Central Italian school of the 17th century.
The iconography recognizes in this figure the holy hermit Onofrius, who lived in the 4th century as an anchorite in the Egyptian desert: he is in fact represented here in a rocky and desolate setting (typical of paintings that exalt the theme of penance and ascetic life) traditionally as an elderly man with a long beard and white hair, almost completely naked (covered only by a loincloth of leaves), on his knees, with his hands clasped in prayer or in a gesture of deep supplication directed upwards, the rosary attached to his arm, the Cross and the open book (a Bible) on the rock next to him, signs of prayer and meditation.
The painting has undergone restoration and relining in the past.
It is presented in a repurposed antique frame.
.png)
PLATINUM Seller in Milano, Italy
