The Entombment of St Stephen Martyr

Juan de Juanes was more adept an imitator of Raphael than his father, Vicente Masip, and succeeded to a greater extent in appropriating the graceful, restrained emotion of the Italian master. In 1562, he was paid for his contribution to an altarpiece comprised of six panels with scenes of the life of St Stephen and three of the life of Christ for the Valencian church of San Estaban (now in the Prado, Madrid). The Burial of St Stephen is derived in part from Raphael; the disposition of the figures and the man holding the hand of the saint are lifted from the Borghese Deposition. More important, Juanes has partly assimilated Raphael’s facial types and use of emotive gestures.