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Juan de Zurbarán, the son of Francisco, was one of the most original and gifted Spanish still-life painters of the seventeenth century. This work is based on a similar still life by the artist, dated 1643. It reveals Zurbarán’s ability to recreate textures, his masterly use of effects of chiaroscuro and his interest in complex compositions.
Nothing is known of this middle-aged gentleman with his black doublet and cloak, against which the wide, segmented ruff or gola and the delicate white cuff at his right wrist stand out. At his waist are a belt and a sword belt, both very plain, though essential accessories of aristocratic dress in Spain in the Golden Age. The sitter is depicted three-quarter length and lit from the side with a lig
María Magdalena es una de las santas más célebres del cristianismo, por haber conocido a Cristo y porque representó el paradigma de la mujer arrepentida. En su etapa de vida mundana suele caracterizarse con ricas vestiduras. Cuando se muestra como mujer arrepentida -como en esta pintura de Guercino- aparece semidesnuda y con largos cabellos, adorando el crucifijo. Otros dos de sus atributos más re
The original composition was enlarged on the right side with a section of wood of around 10.5 cm, glued against the grain. During the restoration carried out in 1994 it was noted that the preparation and execution of this section differed from the rest of the composition, indicating that it was added later. Isabella Farnese`s seal, printed on the back, can be found on the original panel but not in
Mariana of Austria (1634-1696) was the daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand III and María of Hungary. It was intended that she marry her cousin, Prince Baltasar Carlos, but following his death she married Philip IV in 1649. Velázquez executed this portrait after his return from Italy. The elaborate clothing, chair and curtain emphasise the sitter`s rank while the table clock alludes to
On 14 February 1612 Juan Bautista Maíno signed the contract to execute the paintings for the monastery church of San Pedro Mártir in Toledo. Maíno agreed to a period of eight months to make the paintings, which had to portray the scenes and episodes specified by the prior of the monastery. Despite the agreement reached in the contract, the paintings were not completed until De
The flat gray stone surface with a hollow in the left foreground bears various sorts of produce, mostly fruit and nuts. This, in turn, draws attention to a deep dish filled with walnuts in the middle ground behind a quince, several chestnuts and four apples. Further back, various short lengths of sugarcane fade into the shadows. The elements are laid out in a traditional manner to insure the neces
On 14 February 1612 Juan Bautista Maíno signed the contract to execute the paintings for the monastery church of San Pedro Mártir in Toledo. Maíno agreed to a period of eight months to make the paintings, which had to portray the scenes and episodes specified by the prior of the monastery. Despite the agreement reached in the contract, the paintings were not completed until De
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
A protector and friend of Van Dyck, Endymion Porter (1587-1649) was secretary to the Duke of Buckingham and an important diplomat in the English Court. A great lover of the arts, he was in charge of acquiring works for the collection of King Charles I, and was one of Van Dyck´s greatest supporters during the latter´s stay in London. The aristocrat is shown frontally, wearing white satin, while the
On 14 February 1612 Juan Bautista Maíno signed the contract to execute the paintings for the monastery church of San Pedro Mártir in Toledo. Maíno agreed to a period of eight months to make the paintings, which had to portray the scenes and episodes specified by the prior of the monastery. Despite the agreement reached in the contract, the paintings were not completed until De
In the foreground of this canvas, a figure dressed in green holds in his hands what appears to be a pack of cards and looks directly at the viewer, as if to invite us to participate in the game. He is in the countryside, seated under the protection of a rocky crag. Behind him is a landscape that ends in a range of mountains on the horizon. Velázquez painted the portrait around 1638, and it
In late 1629, the thirty-year-old Velázquez went to Italy for the first time, remaining there for more than a year. During this trip he executed various history paintings, some portraits and at least two views of the gardens of the Villa Medici. While there have been differences of opinion about the dating of these views, the fact that the artist stayed at the Villa Medici for various month
The subject of the angelic consolation of Saint Francis became popular in the second half of the sixteenth century as a result of the Catholic Church´s renewed appreciation of his mystical experiences, almost to the exclusion of the more picturesque episodes of the saint´s life that had characterised traditional iconography; for example, his encounter with the wolf of Gubbio, and the invention of
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
The Virgin Mary lies on her deathbed, surrounded by eleven Apostles. Through the window, the Borgo di San Giorgio and the Laguna of Mantua can be seen in the background. This scene depicts the Virgin Mary´s final moment on earth. According to the Apocrypha, her body and soul were carried up to Heaven by Jesus following her earthly death. This moment is also known as the “Dormition of the Virgin”.
An outstanding work in Francesco Furini’s oeuvre and one of the most sensual and morbid of all Italian Baroque paintings, Lot and his daughters, c.1634, depicts the Old Testament story of Lot (Genesis 19:30-38), who escaped the destruction of Sodom thanks to a warning from the angels charged with its obliteration. Lot’s wife, who failed to obey their order not to look back, was turned into a pilla
Guido Reni`s painting shows a young Cupid facing the viewer, with the seashore behind him, his left leg bent and left foot resting on a slab of stone. Cupid raises his left hand to a dove and with his right hand holds his bow. The loosened bowstring indicates that he has been disarmed; his remaining arrows lie in a quiver discarded on the ground. The subject appears to be a variation of Love tamed
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