Saint John the Evangelist

Valdés Leal employs chiaroscuro to model the figure, allowing the gradual transition from darkness to light to suggest volume and three‑dimensionality. The red cloak drapes over a green tunic, rendered with smooth brushwork that contrasts with the more textured treatment of the background, creating a dramatic yet balanced visual effect.

Created in the late seventeenth century, the painting remained in private collections before entering the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in the twentieth century. Its acquisition expanded the museum’s representation of Spanish Baroque art, providing insight into Valdés Leal’s religious commissions during the post‑Counter‑Reformation period.