The Appearance of the Dead San Francisco Solano

Abstract

When Fransiscan Monk Francisco Solano died, it was decided by the Franciscan order to have his portrait painted in an attempt to preserve his image. The limeñan artist Juan de Aguayo was called and asked to paint the dead priest. He was given no further instructions and started painting 24 hours after death had occurred. But, rather than portraying a lively image of the priest (as is frequently done in posthumous portraits), the artist seems to have painted the monk exactly how he found him (Figure 1). Possible reasons for this peculiar form of artistry are discussed.