Joseph is a handsome and virtuous slave falsely accused of rape by his master´s wife, whose advances he has rejected. He is imprisoned, but eventually raised to the highest office by Pharaoh (Exodus: 39). Joseph and the Wife of Putiphar and Susannah and the Elders (P386) can be understood as parables of righteousness threatened and preserved, but here -as was usual for artists of the Renaissance a
Within the large series of paintings dedicated to the history of Rome, this work and Meleager’s Hunt (P2320) belong to a small group of scenes from mythology and the history of Antiquity. This is undoubtedly the most mysterious group in the series -so much so, that the subject matter of some of its paintings has yet to be identified today. Moreover, neither the significance of this group as a whol
On entering the Museum this painting was inventoried as a product of the Sevillian school, though the 1876 catalogue lists it as a work executed in the style of Jan Both. Valdivieso (1973) considers it to be an eighteenth-century Italian work, while Barghahn (1986) identifies it as one of the landscapes in the Palace of the Buen Retiro inventory, though in fact neither the measurements nor the des
Documentation of payment received by Velázquez in July 1629 for an image of Bacchus painted at the king`s behest informs us of the work`s approximate date and identifies its intended recipient. This was shortly before the artist`s first visit to Italy, barely five years after he began working for the king and at a time when he had just met Rubens. During this period, he was specialized in p
On 16 April 1529 Federico II Gonzaga, First Duke of Mantua (1500-1540), apologised to his uncle Alfonso d’Este for retaining Titian: perché ha conienzo un retratto mio qual molto desidero sii finito (because he has started a portrait of me which I greatly desire to be finished). In 1530 a second portrait of Federico in armour is also recorded. Typologically and conceptually, the present por
Philip II (r. 1556-98) was Titian´s most important patron, and together they forged one of the most fruitful artistic relationships of the European Renaissance. Philip surpassed all of the Venetian painter´s previous patrons both in the number of commissions and in their variety. Unlike his father, Emperor Charles V (r. 1519-56), Philip was not satisfied with only portraits and devotional works; h
Jacob luchó con un ángel hasta el amanecer, momento en el que este le propuso acabar la pelea. Jacob, consciente de que había peleado con Dios, le pidió su bendición (Génesis 32: 24-32).Es obra importante en el catálogo de Giordano, no solo por su incuestionable calidad, sino porque en ella puso en práctica inteligentes recursos para crear efectos nocturnos. Efectivamente, se trata de una escena e
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
Giuseppe Bonito was a student of Francesco Solimena (1657-1747) and a follower of his artistic idiom. This can be seen in the decidedly Baroque appearance of his early mythological and religious works, which later led to an amiable, colourist Rococo style. Bonito specialised in genre paintings and portraits, and the present canvas is a fine example of his skills. It is especially attractive as a h
En este caso, como en otros de la Torre de la Parada, Rubens no ha seguido las Metamorfosis de Ovidio sino las Fábulas de Higinio (Capítulo III): "(...) Frixo llegó a la Cólquide. Allí, según órdenes de su madre, sacrificó al carnero y colocó en el templo de Marte su piel de oro. Se dice que Jasón, hijo de Esón y de Alcímede, había ido a buscar esta piel que guardaba una serpiente".La historia de
Rubens combines various subjects in this work. The figure of Saint Joseph sleeping in a landscape alongside a grazing donkey, and the Virgin Mary sitting on a boulder with her son refer to the rest on the Flight from Egypt, but the artist also added various images of saints to the left of the main group. These include Saint George and the dragon, and Saint Catherine, whose factions are those of H&
In this representation of Saint John of Capistrano, the painter has faithfully followed his traditional iconography. Dressed in a Franciscan habit with a red cross on it, he stands beneath a shining star. He holds a standard created by Saint Bernardino of Sienna—John of Capistrano was his disciple when he entered the Order of Saint Francis— with the nails of Christ´s crucifixion and his IHS
Humanity´s rebirth after the flood is represented in Greek mythology through the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha. After surviving the disaster, they threw stones over their shoulders, each of which became a new being. This story is told by the classical poet, Ovid, in his Metamorphoses. This painting is a sketch by Rubens for a painting —now lost— by Jan Cossiers for the Torre de la Parada. Rubens w
These two canvases (The Adoration of the Magi, P1129 and The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, P1130) were part of a small altar piece in the convent of Los Angéles in Madrid, a work that also included The Annunciation (P1128). The present canvases are typical of the mature style of this artist, who made masterly use of a range of warm colours applied with an extremely free brushstroke i
Found on the beach at Denia (Valencia) on 28 August 1597, this leatherback sea turtle was depicted in a painting in order to record its unexplected appearance on the Mediterranean coast. The painting includes a lengthy explanatory text that reflects the scientific importance of this find.
Although there is no extant set of the twelve months of the year painted by Jacopo, it is possible that he invented this series. Certainly, the inventory taken in Bassano del Grappa following his death in 1592 mentions sketches of the twelve months from January to December (two different versions of some, such as May and June), and a further seven of unspecified months. In 1648, Ridolfi referred t