Weapons and Hunting Equipment
Ca. 1700. Oil on canvas.Not on display
Although this painting bears a curious apocryphal signature in large letters at the lower left corner of the canvas, Pérez Sanchez (1983) attributed it to Victoria in 1983 on the basis of its Valencian provenance and that clergyman’s (he was a canon) reputation for making works of this sort. But, while other collections have similar pieces, this attribution raises doubts that may eventually lead it to be reconsidered.
In fact, certain aspects of this work coincide with those of artists from outside the Spanish school, such as Jacobus Bitius (1633-1681). Cavestany considered it the work of Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (1605-1667), although that attribution is totally unsubstantiated. The white or light ivory background looks like a wall with a small hollow caused by an impact.
A variety of objects hang from nails or hooks, generating a brilliant trompe l’oeil effect whose admirable precision depends not only on the artist’s capacity to convey their textures but also on the shadows they cast. A gold pocket watch with its ribbon is accompanied by a sheathed hunting knife, two portable powder flasks—one to be worn on a bandolier and the other with its own strap—and two different pistols. According to Orihuela (1995. No. 25), the one at the center of the composition is a Spanish flintlock of the sort made by Ripoll, whose models were frequent in the 17th and 18th centuries. The one on the right is a French model that came into use around 1700. These different elements stand out against a light background that also enhances their sense of volume. The palette is practically monochromatic, with a narrow range of browns and ochers, and the contrasting gold and blue of the pocket watch is incidental, as are the dark gray shadows. Trompe l’oeil paintings were quite common in Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries—especially the latter. They are thought to have originated in Flanders and Holland, where they were painted with surprising skill. There are also cases from the French school, however. In fact, many European artists painted these imitations of reality intended to trick the senses (Text from Luna, J. J. : El bodegón español en el Prado. De Van der Hamen a Goya, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2008, p. 112).
