The composition is derived from a Cristo incoronato di Spine done by Jacopo Bassano towards 1589-1590 (Rome, private collection), in which Ballarin clearly sees the influence of Titian´s Christ Crowned with Thorns (Munich, Alte Pinakothek, inv. 2272). The Galleria Sabauda in Turin houses a bottega replica which, like the Prado version, is painted on slate.Several aspects of the painting justify it
Like many other works by Andrea di Lione, Jacob’s journey, c.1635-65, was previously attributed to Genoese painter Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto). It is one of the most successful landscapes with figures by Lione, who first studied with battle painter Aniello Falcone (1607-1656) and later developed a more bucolic manner under the influence of Castiglione, whom he lived alongside in
A high surface acts as a sort of altar bearing an image of the Virgin and Child with Saint Joseph behind them. Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Ildephonsus stand at a lower level in front, flanking clergyman and writer Alonso de Villegas, who is presented in a three-quarters view. His devout posture, with hands joined at chest level and a serene, withdrawn expression as he contemplates Mary and
These two seascapes (P1581 and P1582) are traditionally considered pendants. In the Museum’s older catalogues and inventories they are attributed to Cornelis Molenaer (ca. 1540-1589) until 1933. As of 1889, however, it is recorded that Bredius considers them originals by Simon de Vlieger (1600-1653). The highly schematic architecture in the background, the clumsy depiction of the figures and the r
It has often been stated that this painting is part of a series of four, all now in the Prado, but that is probably not the case. The dimensions of all four paintings (P1619, P1620, P1621, P1622) are similar, but their provenance is not. This, and Table with Cloth, Salt Cellar, Gilt Standing Cup, Pie, Jug, Porcelain Plate with Olives and Cooked Fowl (P1622), are first documented when they were inv
An inquiring and original artist, as well as an extraordinary draughtsman, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione travelled throughout much of Italy (besides his native Genoa, he worked in Rome, Mantua, Venice, and possibly Parma, Florence, Bologna and Modena) absorbing and appropriating a great variety of tendencies and languages, from the vigorous naturalism of painters living in Genoa, such as Sinibald
Until 1920, this painting appears in the Prado catalogues as an original by Cornelis Molenaer (1530/50-1589). However, in the 1889 edition it is noted that Bredius believes it to have been painted by Pieter Nolpe (1613-1653). This attribution was officially accepted by the Museum from 1933 until the 1985 catalogue, when it is ascribed to Jan Coelenbier (1610-1680), as proposed by Valdivieso and su
These two seascapes (P1581 and P1582) are traditionally considered pendants. In the Museum`s older catalogues and inventories they are attributed to Cornelis Molenaer (ca. 1540-1589) until 1933. As of 1889, however, it is recorded that Bredius considers them originals by Simon de Vlieger (1600-1653). The highly schematic architecture in the background, the clumsy depiction of the figures and the r
Standing alongside a velvet curtain with her left hand resting on a buffet covered with a crimson velvet cloth, Christine of Lorraine wears a black robe adorned with gold buttons and holds a fan in her right hand. Duchess of Florence, she was born to Charles II of Lorraine in 1566, married Ferdinand I of Medici in 1589 and died on February 19, 1637.There is a preparatory drawing of her hands at th
Portrayed in more than half-length, Catalina Micaela (1567-1597) wears an entirely black dress with lace collar and cuffs, inner sleeves of golden white and white ribbons. A double string of pearls, a necklace, worked golden buttons and a belt are her rich jewelry. As in other court portraits, she rests her hand on an armchair in allusion to her high birth, while the other holds a feminine object,
This mythological scene is one of the three currently-known paintings by Pieter Fris. It depicts the moment when Orpheus, having descended into the realm of darkness to search for his wife Eurydice, killed by a snake bite, embraces her in the presence of Persephone and Hades, who has allowed him to rescue her from the Underworld and return her to life, provided he does not look back until he reach
We see the upper body of a figure, in profile, with his head raised to the sky. His arms and hands are stretched out in admiration and surprise. The saint is wearing a humble grey habit and a narrow hood covering his head. An intense light from the upper left corner illuminates the saint’s turned body, and his face appears excited at what we imagine is a heavenly vision. In contrast, the backgroun
The first verified Spanish documentation of Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist or Madonna of the Rose, c. 1517, dates from 1657. In 1642 Wenceslaus Hollar engraved this composition after a painting belonging to Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, one of the present work’s probable owners. However, there were copies of the work in Spain in the sixteenth century, including no less t
This work increases and enhances the Museum’s very small collection of portraits of the Flemish middle-classes. Key worked for various Spaniards in the Low Countries and this is a particularly good example of his abilities as a portraitist, the genre for which he was principally celebrated. Despite the limited, sober colour range, the subject is presented in a sincere, accessible manner.
As Zuccari correctly noted, this is a study for Nebbia´s lunette fresco of the Donation of Constantine painted in the Benediction Loggia of S. Giovanni in Laterano, Rome, in c. 1590 (Madonna, 1993, p. 124). Nebbia and his collaborator, Giovanni Guerra (1544-1618) organized the decoration of the loggia, which was shared between a number of other painters. Payments to Nebbia and Guerra for their wor
Gabriele Finaldi was the first to point out that the seated pope seems to be Pius V (Ghislieri), the Dominican, pro-Spanish pontiff who reigned from 1566 to 1572. As Cardinal Ghislieri, he held the office of grand inquisitor under the two previous pontiffs, Paul IV and Pius IV. Comparison of the visage and physique of the pope in the drawing with those in the many surviving portraits of Pius V sho
In Greek mythology, the chimera was a fire-breathing female monster resembling a lion in the forepart, a goat in the middle and a dragon in the hind. According to legend, she was a daughter of Typhaon and Echidna, and had three heads, one for each of the three animals of which she was composed. In this drawing, the dragon at the rear emits what appear to be tongues of flame. The chimera caused hav
This drawing was formerly placed under the name of the French painter Jacques Blanchard (1600-1638), to whom it is traditionally attributed. The style, however, points directly to the work of the late Mannerist Roman painter the Cavaliere d’Arpino. He was especially fond of red chalk and his finished studies in the medium have a graceful, almost porcelain-like finish similar to that found in his p