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On June 5, 1625 the Dutch governor of Breda, Justinus van Nassau, surrendered the keys of that city to Ambrosio Spínola, the Genoese general commanding the Spanish tercios (a group of soldiers that included pikemen, swordsmen and musketeers) of Flanders. Breda`s extraordinary strategic importance made it one of the most disputed cities in the Spanish monarchy`s prolonged war against the Uni
This painting is both beautiful in appearance and enigmatic on account of its problems of attribution, its authorship having fluctuated between several artists, all belonging to the aesthetic environment of Michelangelo Merisi, Caravaggio. Indeed, although it is now definitely ascribed to Serodine, some critics still believe it to be the work of the latter. Its history can be traced back to 1647,
Titian represented the Gospel account of the burial of Christ (Matthew 27: 57-61; Mark 15: 44-47; Luke 23: 50-54; John 19: 38-42) on several occasions. There is a notable difference between his first version (Paris, Louvre) of around 1526 which is clearly indebted to Raphael´s painting of that subject (Rome, Galleria Borghese), and his other versions painted between 1559 and 1572. The main differe
Philip IV´s sister, Maria, was born in El Escorial in 1606. As a result of her royal lineage, she was destined to become yet another pawn in the play of matrimonial alliances that the European courts found so useful. As a marriageable infanta, marrying her was first considered a means of improving diplomatic relations with England, but those efforts failed as a result of religious incompatabilites
The inhabitants of Antwerp enjoy skating on the frozen water in the moats alongside the city walls. Divided into groups, some disguised and others elegantly dressed, the represent diverse attitudes and stereotypes from the celebration of Carnival. Images of feasts and celebrations in the Low Countries are common in the work of Denis van Alsloot. In his customary manner, he creates a very detailed
This is one of a number of images of Saint Rosalia that Van Dyck painted in Sicily, where he lived from 1624 to 1625. It depicts the hermit saint in her cave on Mount Pellegrino near Palermo. Rosalia’s cult gained popularity during the outbreak of the plague that devastated the city in the 1620s.
This Adoration of the Shepherds, signed and dated 1625, was executed in the final stage in Wtewael`s career. The intellectual approach to the scene (St Luke 2:15-18), which derives its emotive force from the refined rhythm of contrasting movements and lights, underlines the painter`s faithfulness to the Mannerist aesthetic he learned during his youth in Italy and France.The compositional structure
Representación del sitio de Breda, que tuvo lugar entre el 12 de septiembre de 1624 y el 2 de junio de 1625. En primer plano aparece la visita de la infanta gobernadora al campo de batalla tras la victoria, junto a otros personajes entre los que se encuentra Ambrosio de Spinola.El primer dato documental de esta obra lo da el inventario del Alcázar de 1636: ".... el sitio de Breda, con moldura dora
The daughter of Henri IV of France and Marie de Médicis, Isabel de Borbón (1603-1644) was the first wife of Philip IV and the mother of Prince Baltasar Carlos and María Teresa of Austria. In Villandrando’s portrait, painted a year before Isabel became Queen of Spain, she wears a stiff, sumptuous dress that emphasises her presence and royal status. Although Spanish in cut, the
This image resembles some of the portraits painted by El Greco, who was Tristán’s master in Toledo for a time: the concentrated gaze with which the sitter faces the viewer, and his intense energy unmistakeably recall El Greco´s painting. Nothing is known of the identity of this Carmelite, who is portrayed working with two volumes.
In each of these paintings (P596, P597), the central motif around which the entire composition is organised is a glass flower vase, the base of which rests on a stone surface. The flask-shaped vessel contains water. The specific varieties of flowers vary in the two works, but the similarities in the paintings´ dimensions and in the strategies adopted in the depiction of their subjects -toget
Juan van der Hamen y León attained notable fame as a painter of still lifes in the court in Madrid. His early death in 1631 explains the concentration of his works from the 1620s, a brief period that nevertheless offers an interesting evolution in the typologies of his paintings, suggesting that he was open to incorporating aspects of other artists´ work. Still life with fruits and vegetabl
Some villagers smoke and chat at the door of a tavern. A woman is coming out the door, carrying the food they were waiting for. On the right, some peasants chat in a friendly manner. The church of a nearby village is visible in the background, and across the plains, another town is visible. Here, Teniers had Lucas van Uden paint the landscape. The latter used a warm evening light derived from his
Today, Juan Carreño, who was appointed Chamber Painter to the King in 1671, is best remembered for his portraits from the court of Charles II, but, in fact, most of his paintings are devotional. Such works abounded at churches, convents, and private homes in Madrid and its surroundings, and they contributed to the artist´s growing renown. Chief among them is the artist´s Saint Sebastian. Ac
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
Both the royal inventories and Stchavinsky (1912) identify this scene as the story of Hecuba, wife of Priam of Troy. Wichmann (1923) disagrees, believing it to be the Finding of the bodies of Hero and Leander, an interpretation supported by Valdivieso (1973), Pigler (1974), Salerno (1977-80) and Sluijter (1986). Luna (1984), however, has called attention to the inscription HECVBA / OVIDIVS./ LIB.
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
