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This is a painting of rather mediocre quality for which the artists drew on several ricordi from the stock at the family bottega. To cite an example, the horse and pair of dogs on the right specifically repeat the ones that appear in a similar position in Adam Being Reprimanded (P21). This juxtaposition of standardised models explains the obvious problems of scale in the depiction of the animals,
A portrait of a Venetian soldier wearing armor. He holds a baton in his right hand and his weapons in his left. Turned, he extends his arm toward the viewer, thus opening a third dimension in this composition strengthened by the force of his gaze. It has not been possible to confirm the identity of the sitter, but we must point out the similarity of this work's general composition to that of the p
This set of paintings on the five senses (Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch) was one of the most successful collaborations of Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel “the elder.” Rubens placed his figures in the magnificent courtly scenes created by Brueghel as settings for these allegories of the senses, resulting in a series of enormous quality and esthetic appeal. The subject was widely employed i
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
The Virgin Mary is presented as a little girl with her hands crossed over her chest. Wearing blue and white, she ascends on a group of angels’ heads as the heavens open to welcome her. This differs from earlier versions of the same subject by Zurbarán in its lack of symbols of the litanies and in the presence of a group of singing angels that occupy the entire bottom of the painting and are
The workshop of Jan Massys (c. 1509-1575) in Amberes produced a number of copies of this image based on a protoype by Quinten Massys, Jan’s father. Notable is the saint’s powerful look, which bestows dignity upon him. In line with new humanist ideas, the Church Father’s appearance of an aged scholar is abandoned, while the reference to the transience of life made through the skull and the depictio
On a number of occasions, Peter Paul Rubens partially overpainted finished pictures. He did this to paintings by his own hand, such as Nymphs and Satyrs (P1666), which he retouched and enlarged twenty years after he first painted it. He also made changes to drawings and paintings by other artists that he owned. This painting is an example of such reworking, albeit in a radical mode that changed th
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,
There are two more known versions of this work in Vienna (Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. 1581) and a private collection in Padua. The former has always been attributed to Francesco, whereas Ballarin has assigned the second to Jacopo, dating it to about 1575. In Ballarin´s view, the Padua painting is the original from which the other versions were derived and on which Jacopo based his first Adorati
The Seasons are the second of the three types of four canvas sets produced by the Bassano bottega in the 1570s. Like the Noah and Elements series, they were extraordinarily successful and many replicas were made. Between 1580 and 1600 the inventories of the Venetian court of Giudici di petizioni cite five series of the Seasons and a further 35 of paesi e animali, and, although there is no mention
The 1910 catalogue states that Bredius attributed this painting to Jacop Gerritsz. Cuyp (1594-1652), ascription that was officially accepted by the Museum in 1985. However, neither the typology nor the style correspond to Cuyp`s portraits. Moreover, the oval-shaped panel is characteristic of Amsterdam portraitists. Fred Meijer thus believes that this could be the work of a painter who belonged to
The parable of Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31) has been interpreted in many ways: an apology of charitable works; a comparison between salvation and perdition, and between gentiles (Lazarus) and Jews (Epulon, the rich man); and the dogs who lick Lazarus´s sores have even been held to be an allusion to the Dominican preachers and their miraculous cures. Aikema has provided examples of sermons and contempo
Marinus has depicted the Virgin nursing the Child in a domestic interior. Both figures are shown without halos, turning the representation into an image of the tender relationship between a mother and her child in the viewer’s own time and place. This iconography already appeared in the early fifteenth century and was used especially for images intended for private devotion. During the later Middl
Christ´s dead body is taken off the Cross by Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and Saint John the Evangelist. Among the people at his feet are the Virgin Mary, the mother of Joseph —also called Mary— as well as Salomé and Mary Magdalene, who raises her arms as a sign of her suffering. The good and bad thieves are crucified on trees. This scene follows the New Testament story of the Jesus´ desc
Calvary and The Descent from the Cross were two of the most frequent subjects in Pedro de Campaña’s oeuvre. Their content, as well as the painter’s Flemish training, explain his manner of emphasizing the markedly dramatic character of their compositions, stressing the figures’ expressive qualities in very contrived nocturnal settings. It is no surprise that these subjects continued to occup
The Recapture of Bahía de Todos los Santos was commissioned from Maíno towards the end of 1634. The artist was still working on it on 24 March 1635, date on which he received the first 18,600 maravedíes on account, corresponding to an order of payment from the Chief Notary of the Council of Aragon, Jerónimo de Villanueva (died 1653). Maíno completed the painting
Venetian sixteenth-century painters frequently made use of this story as it allowed them to depict their client´s preferred subject-the female nude- using the vehicle of a biblical episode. The confrontation between Susannah and the Elders is the most psychologically interesting moment in the narrative (Daniel 13, 15-27). Susannah´s pale, nude flesh conveys a strong sensation of fragility, emphasi
