This pair of portraits (P001220 and P001222) combines several aspects of Spanish portraiture of the Baroque period. In principle, the figures of Philip IV and his second wife, Mariana of Austria, are a continuation of the donor-tradition that goes back to medieval religious painting. The client would be incorporated, kneeling or prostrate in a reverential position, into the religious scene that he
Although there is no extant set of the twelve months of the year painted by Jacopo, it is possible that he invented this series. Certainly, the inventory taken in Bassano del Grappa following his death in 1592 mentions sketches of the twelve months from January to December (two different versions of some, such as May and June), and a further seven of unspecified months. In 1648, Ridolfi referred t
Although there is no extant set of the twelve months of the year painted by Jacopo, it is possible that he invented this series. Certainly, the inventory taken in Bassano del Grappa following his death in 1592 mentions sketches of the twelve months from January to December (two different versions of some, such as May and June), and a further seven of unspecified months. In 1648, Ridolfi referred t
This is a free copy of Hans Holbein´s portrait of the Thomas More, the English humanist and statesman. He wears a cape with a fur collar and a magistrate´s cap. In his hands, he holds a paper alluding to his condition as an intellectual. Holbein was a favorite of Rubens, who copied his works on numerous occasions, especially at the beginning of his career. The present portrait was made in the sixt
Dressed completely in black, with a widow´s headdress and simple jewelry, Marie de Medici is portrayed as the Queen Mother, after having governed France as a Reagent from 1610 to 1617. As one of Rubens´s most outstanding patrons, the queen commissioned him to decorate her Luxemburg Palace in Paris with a series of works that glorified her figure and that of her husband, Henri IV. Rubens began the
This pair of portraits (P01220 and P01222) combines several aspects of Spanish portraiture of the Baroque period. In principle, the figures of Philip IV and his second wife, Mariana of Austria, are a continuation of the donor-tradition that goes back to medieval religious painting. The client would be incorporated, kneeling or prostrate in a reverential position, into the religious scene that he o
The vault of the former Hall of Ambassadors at the Buen Retiro Palace, constructed alongside the former Royal Quarters of San Jerónimo at the behest of the Count-Duke of Olivares as a royal residence for leisure and for the monarchs’ public and official receptions. In the eastern part of this complex, a small building was erected after the palace itself was completed (1632). It was designed
Although there is no extant set of the twelve months of the year painted by Jacopo, it is possible that he invented this series. Certainly, the inventory taken in Bassano del Grappa following his death in 1592 mentions sketches of the twelve months from January to December (two different versions of some, such as May and June), and a further seven of unspecified months. In 1648, Ridolfi referred t
Antonello was trained in Naples, the Italian city most influenced by Flemish painting. He later worked in Sicily and mainland Italy. In 1475 he traveled to Venice and, while this work was painted on his return to Messina, the city visible in the background, it would not be understandable without reference to Giovanni Bellini. Bellini painted versions of the Pietà that gave Antonello a compo
Although there is no extant set of the twelve months of the year painted by Jacopo, it is possible that he invented this series. Certainly, the inventory taken in Bassano del Grappa following his death in 1592 mentions sketches of the twelve months from January to December (two different versions of some, such as May and June), and a further seven of unspecified months. In 1648, Ridolfi referred t
As he is painted here, Eros is mischievous. Praxiteles, as far as we know, first represented him in a sculpture, around 370-60 BCE; he showed him nude in his sleep, and another time standing, with a bow in his left hand. Lysippos also represented him standing, preparing his bow. It was the great Euripides, in the fifth century BCE, who first mentioned Eros’s bow in Iphigenia at Aulis: "[Eros] gold
After the death of Velázquez, Carreño showed himself to be the artist most worthy of continuing the depiction of monsters, jesters, and dwarves that inhabited the Spanish court. Inventories show that the Alcázar possessed a large number of portraits of this kind by Carreño, among which are the two of the Monster, as well as others that have unfortunately disappeared. Th
The scene of the Adoration of the Magi, which begins with the depiction of the eldest Magus presenting his offering to the Christ Child (P125), is completed with this second one in which the other two Kings wait to present chalices containing the frankincense and myrhh, symbols of the Child’s divinity and his role as mankind’s redeemer. This composition, together with the one that completes the ep
A sumptuously dressed and armed dwarf holds a ruler´s staff, an attribute of power that cannot have corresponded to his status. He was probably one of the court buffoons, who were showered with presents and dressed in ostentatious luxury. Since the sixteenth century, portraits of these figures were quite customary, although it was Velázquez who explored this genre with singular mastery. The
Although there is no extant set of the twelve months of the year painted by Jacopo, it is possible that he invented this series. Certainly, the inventory taken in Bassano del Grappa following his death in 1592 mentions sketches of the twelve months from January to December (two different versions of some, such as May and June), and a further seven of unspecified months. In 1648, Ridolfi referred t
Although there is no extant set of the twelve months of the year painted by Jacopo, it is possible that he invented this series. Certainly, the inventory taken in Bassano del Grappa following his death in 1592 mentions sketches of the twelve months from January to December (two different versions of some, such as May and June), and a further seven of unspecified months. In 1648, Ridolfi referred t
Although there is no extant set of the twelve months of the year painted by Jacopo, it is possible that he invented this series. Certainly, the inventory taken in Bassano del Grappa following his death in 1592 mentions sketches of the twelve months from January to December (two different versions of some, such as May and June), and a further seven of unspecified months. In 1648, Ridolfi referred t
Goya’s Album C exemplifies the complexity of his work. Made during the Peninsular War and the posterior repression under the reign of Ferdinand VII, it addresses subjects linked to many facets of that period. Other authors believe this album extends through the years of the Liberal Triennium (1820-23), as they see a relation between some of its drawings and the joy associated with the restoration