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This work illustrates the final passage of Christ´s childhood (Luke 2, 41-50) when, at the age of 12, he was taken to Jerusalem by his parents to celebrate Passover. Mary and Joseph lost their son, and later found him in the Temple, arguing with the doctors. Christ´s theological superiority is emphasized by his placement towards the top of the composition´s axis. The doctors look on as he enumerat
With a halo of sainthood over his head, Jesus extends his arm to the centurion who, having converted to the Christian faith, kneels at his feet, as told in the New Testament (Matthew 8, 5-13). The scene takes place in front of an architectural backdrop inspired by the work of the architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). The bright colors worn by the figures are brought out by the white of the strong
Like its pair, Cephalus and Procris (Strasbourg Museum, inv. 634, oil on canvas, 162 x 185 cm), this canvas illustrates a passage from the Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid. Both stories involve love cut short by death, in this case that of Adonis. Veronese conveys the grief of Venus, goddess of love, as she presages the death of her lover at the hunt. Painted after a period in Rome, Veronese u
Saint Mena extends his arms and raises his gaze to Heaven, refusing to worship the graven idol presented to him at the left of the composition. As a result, he was martyred and decapitated. His suffering occurred in the year 296, under the rule of Diocletian. It is indicated here by the sword held by the person who has seized the saint, and by the pliers in the basket, which were used to pull out
Venus, the Roman goddess of Love and Beauty, is accidentally wounded by one of her son Cupid´s arrows, which triggers her passion for Adonis. This love story ends with the tragic death of the hero. The scene is based on book X of Ovid´s Metamorphoses, one of the most important sources of mythology for artists of that time. The composition and pictorial technique in this work are a fine
This painting shows the vision of Saint Catherine, who, in a dream, was mystically wed to the Christ Child. The work is dated between 1617 and 1619, when the artist was in Spain where he left a profound mark on artists such as Murillo. A follower of Caravaggio, he produced more delicate compositions with nobler figures and a more detailed treatment of the forms. He did however adopt Caravaggio’s v
Sitting on a sumptuous chair, the Virgin tenderly contemplates the nude Christ child, whose expression is pensive and informal. Above them, two cherubs crown Mary. Michelangelo’s sculpture, the Madonna of Bruges has been mentioned as a possible influence, as both combine a carefree Christ child with a solemn mother.After Bolognese classicism went out of fashion in the second half of the 19th centu
While it is first listed in 1666 at the Alcázar, where it hung alongside Ribera’s Fable of Bacchus or Teoxenia (of which only three fragments have survived: two at the Museo del Prado and one in a private collection), this work’s subject and dimensions suggest it may originally have been commissioned for the Buen Retiro Palace. Along with Finoglia’s Triumph of Bacchus (P7309), Poussin’s Sac
Painted in London when the artist was nearly seventy years old, Moses Rescued from the Nile is undoubtedly the finest work from Orazio Gentileschi’s final period. Exquisitely refined and subtle in its emotions, it was conceived to please that most informed and demanding connoisseur of painting, King Philip IV of Spain. The artist sent it to him as a gift in the summer of 1633, and his son Francesc
This tabletop belonged to Rodrigo Calderon, secretary to Philip III, who seems to have acquired it by somewhat unethical means. Its decoration of military motifs suggests that it is related to the victory at Lepanto. After Calderon´s death in 1621 it was acquired by Philip IV at the posthumous sale of his possessions. The table is supported by four bronze lions, three of them commissioned by Velaz
The table O00448 is supported by four bronze lions (O02942, O02943), three of them commissioned by Velazquez in Italy in 1651. The fourth lion of this table is a bronze copy made in 2004 to replace the damaged lead one made in 1837, which in turn replaced the original damaged in the fire at the Alcazar in 1734.
The table O00448 is supported by four bronze lions (O02942, O02943), three of them commissioned by Velazquez in Italy in 1651. The fourth lion of this table is a bronze copy made in 2004 to replace the damaged lead one made in 1837, which in turn replaced the original damaged in the fire at the Alcazar in 1734.
The table O00448 is supported by four bronze lions (O02942, O02943), three of them commissioned by Velazquez in Italy in 1651. The fourth lion of this table is a bronze copy made in 2004 to replace the damaged lead one made in 1837, which in turn replaced the original damaged in the fire at the Alcazar in 1734.
