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This is one of the few winter scenes painted by Hendrick Dubbels still preserved today. In the Museum`s catalogues it is described as a scene with skaters, although only three of the many characters depicted here are actually skating, and one is putting on skates. The 1873 and 1878 editions state that, despite the signature, some consider this to be by Bonaventura Peeters; the 1885 publication men
The works of Pedro Camprobín were the most important alternative in mid-seventeenth-century Seville to the still lifes of Francisco and Juan de Zurbarán, and this allowed him to dominate the market after their deaths. Instead of the geometric rigor and expressive concentration of the Zurbarans, Camprobín preferred compositions in which the objects were laid out in an apparentl
This portrait is one of Dürer’s great creations. It offers a three-quarters view of an unidentified person who occupies most of the canvas. Dürer places him in front of a dark background that bears some touches of blue. The light enters from the left, bringing out the features of the face and hands and projecting the sitter’s shadow onto the background at the right, where the date and th
Dressed in grey, Christine of Sweden appears on a rearing horse, which symbolizes her status as queen and her power in seventeenth-century Europe. The presence of a falconer beside the dogs alludes to her high station, as hunting was an exercised reserved for royalty and aristocracy. Bourdon made various official images of the Swedish queen, but this one stands out because it is an outdoor and equ
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 sitter`s elaborate dress, the baton of command he holds in his right hand and the sword on which his left hand rest all indicate that he is a military figure. The military context in further suggested by the naval battle depicted in the background and the weapons, ammunition and pieces of armour on the floor. For many years this portrait was in fact thought to depict a military officer until 1
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”.
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
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
Until 1956, this painting was attributed to Pietro da Cortona, an understandable mistake, given how close Romanelli’s style was to that of his teacher. In fact, it appears as such in Charles II’s will and in the Museo del Prado’s 1845 catalog (p. 373, no. 1623), where it is mentioned for the first time as being on the staircase leading to the new Flemish rooms of the ground floor. In the 1878 cata
This painting was first included in the 1873 edition of the Museo del Prado catalogue, which states that it was rescued from the fire at the Alcázar Palace in Madrid in 1734. However, it is not listed in the inventory of the salvaged works. Hymans assumes it to be an original by Carel Fabritius (1614-1654) or even by Rembrandt (1606-1669). It is the work of a Caravaggist of Utrecht, possibl
Standing in the foreground with a crozier at his feet, Saint Anthony looks to the heavens and orders the lions to leave the grave so that he can bury Saint Paul, who lies on a boulder above at the center of the composition. Paul´s soul is represented by the female figure being transported to Heaven by angels. This is a companion work to The Apostle Saint James, or Saint James the Moor Slayer
The Virgin Mary holds the Christ Child, flanked on the right by an angel and, on the left, by Saint Matthew. The landscape in the background shows a scene from the Apocrypha (Proto-Gospel of Saint James): Saint Elisabeth and Saint John the Baptist fleeing from the Slaughter of the Innocents. The presence of Saint Matthew in this composition is explained by the fact the it was commissioned by a ban
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
Christ and the Virgin Mary appear to Saint Francis at the church of la Porziuncola and the saint asks them for plenary indulgence for all pilgrims to that site. We know the artist´s name because it is revealed by the signature halfway up the canvas on the right, as well as through Antonio Palomino´s Museo Pictórico (1724). Palomino´s biography of Francisco Caro (ca.1627-1667) in that book p
Saul (Saint Paul) has fallen to the ground beside his horse. He is surrounded by his companions, who flee in fear at the apparition of Christ, represented by the brilliant light in the background. The composition is constructed on the basis of two large diagonals that converge on Saul —the work´s central element— and the strong scorci of its figures foreshadow the baroque movement. This work is a
This portrait dates from Velázquez`s second trip to Italy (1649-51). For many years the sitter`s identity was unknown but he has recently been identified as the banker Ferdinando Brandini (1603?-1654). Of Portuguese ancestry, Brandini was close to Juan de Córdoba, the Spanish agent who looked after Velázquez in Rome. Brandani`s friendship with Juan de Córdoba, his pro-S
Between the vegetation of La Herrería and a sky that silhouettes the mountains, the southern façade of the Royal Seat of San Lorenzo, perhaps the most balanced of the entire edifice, stands out in the light. The painter emphasizes the rows of windows to mark the wall´s horizontality, establishing a contrast with the vertical towers on the corners. The church´s central nave and transe
