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This small panel -it is practically a miniature- is truly exceptional among El Greco’s works. In it, he employs landscape as an essential compositional element while simultaneously demonstrating his mastery of the techniques and expressive resources of 16th-century Venetian painting. The Holy Family is depicted on its journey to Egypt, fleeing the persecution of Herod, who decreed the execution of
In keeping with iconographic tradition, the Virgin turns in surprise at the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel and the Holy Ghost. This work is very close, compositionally and stylistically, to the Annunciation of the Modena Triptych, but it is not known whether it is a sketch for that work, or an autograph reduction. Probably painted in Venice just before 1570, this piece seems to be inspired by th
This bust-length portrait entered the royal collections as a donation by the widow of the Duke of Arco, gentlemanin- waiting, Equerry and Master of the Horse to Philip V. In his recreational estate at El Pardo, De Arco possessed a group of six portraits of gentlemen by El Greco whose provenance is now unknown.This group would come to constitute the principal holdings of portraits by the artist now
The pyramidal composition and the monumental character of the figure are similar to those of Saint Benedict (P-817), also in the Prado. An exceptional depiction of this saint from Lisbon holding a spray of white lilies in his right hand. In his left hand is a book with a small image of the Christ Child, a later addition that adapts this painting to the most common iconography of this Franciscan sa
This scene of a young man blowing on burning embers was already developed by El Greco in Italy. Here, the motif is complicated by a mischievous young man and a monkey. This possible allegory of sexual desire may also be inspired by a classical work that was often used at that time, Pliny the Elder´s Natural History. The lighting effects and color contrasts show how the Bassano influenced El Greco,
This image of Saint Benedict of Nursia (c.480-547) was painted for the high altar in the Church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo, one of the oldest convents in Toledo founded by the Benedictine order in the seventh century. In the sixteenth century, a new church was built with funding from a wealthy patron, Doña María de Silva, who died in 1575. Diego de Castilla, the deacon of the Cathed
The Heavenly Father, with an Eastern Miter on his head, holds the body of Christ in his lap. The dove of the Holy Ghost appears over his head, while six young angels surround the scene. Several cherubs´ heads appear at Jesus´ feet and under God the Father´s robes. Based on an engraving by Albrecht Dürer, this was one of El Greco´s first commissioned pieces in Toledo. The artist harmonizes the
A long bust of a young manwith a gaunt face bearing a moustache and goatee, large dark, almond-shaped eyes and a long, thin nose. His short, dark hair brings out his pale complexion. He is dressed in black, with a short ruff collar, and the lapels and collar of his outer garment suggest it is a sort of cassock, although the lack of definition in the sleeves prevents any greater specificity. The ba
The figure represented in this painting is identified as a doctor on account of the ring on the thumb of his left hand. This could be Luis Mercado, physician to Philip II, or Rodrigo de la Fuente, a personal friend of El Greco’s and a very influential figure in Toledo at that time. The work is cited in the 1686 inventory of the Alcázar Palace of Madrid, where it remained until the fire of 1
El Greco executed various versions of the Holy Face on the Veil of Veronica, an iconographic motif that became very popular at the end of the Middle Ages. According to the story that developed during the medieval period, on His way to Calvary a woman offered Jesus a white cloth to wipe the sweat and blood from His brow, and the features of His face became imprinted on the cloth. There is no biblic
The Virgin Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven by God the Father and Jesus Christ at the same time. The Holy Ghost, appears above them in the form of a dove, occupying the upper vertex of a rhombus formed by the four figures. This work is based on a print by Albrecht Dürer. Various similar versions of it exist, including the one painted for the parish church of Talavera la Vieja (Cáceres),
A portrait of an anonymous nobleman, possibly from Toledo, with a narrow white ruff. The background is neutral. This work is considered one of the artist´s finest portraits. With the combination of thin and thick brushstrokes, he manages to bring the sitter extraordinarily close to us. This painting is listed in the inventories of Madrid´s Alcázar Palace from 1666, 1686 and 1700. It is sign
Under a sky filled with leaden-gray storm clouds, Saint Andrew and Saint Francis of Assisi stand next to each other in conversation. The apostle appears on the viewer’s left, wearing a cobalt blue tunic and green robes whose purple silk lining has grey reflections. He faces the viewer and leans on his characteristic x-shaped cross, turning his head to his left, where Saint Francis stands. The latt
Mary, wrapped in a red tunic, with a white headdress under her blue robes, is depicted here with an intense sense of devotion. The luminous halo alludes to the image´s sacred character and is used by El Greco to emphasize the figure´s volume. Equally characteristic are the features of the female figure, which the painter would use on numerous occasions: an adolescent with a melancholy face, a fine
From the decade of the eighties onwards, El Greco developed an interesting iconography on the theme of the Holy Family. Over the course of the following years, he continued to work on this topic and produced several versions (Hispanic Society in New York, Museo de Santa Cruz in Toledo, National Gallery of Art in Washington). The Prado version shows Mary full-length, seated at the centre of the com
This work depicts the moment when the Holy Ghost, in the form of flames, rests on the Virgin and the Apostles on Pentecost day in Jerusalem, as is told in the book of Acts (2: 1-5). The bald, bearded Apostle who looks out at the viewer from the right of the canvas has been identified as a self-portrait, or as a portrait of the artist´s friend, Antonio de Covarrubias. Along with other paintings in
This evangelical episode is divided into two overlapping horizontal zones joined by the dove, which symbolizes the Holy Ghost. On the earthly plane, Christ, nude but for his loincloth, is framed by a red cloak, which is the liturgical color of sacrifice and martyrdom. On the right, Saint John the Baptist appears. He wears a camel skin and, next to him, there is an axe in a tree trunk, which allude
A night view of Calvary with a markedly Eucharistic character. Mary Magdalene, at Christ´s feet, and three angels collecting the blood of the slain Savior, appear framed by the figures of the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist. Light and color are used to bring dramatic intensity to the chosen subject, generating a night scene with highly contrasted colors. Some figures, such as that of Mary Mag
