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The child in the portrait appears to be the Infanta María Isabel (1743-1749), the third daughter of Charles of Bourbon and Maria Amalia of Saxony, whose birth was received with special joy after the death of her two elder siblings. For this reason, she was portrayed on several occasions. She appears here as an heir being crowned by an angelic trumpeter.
This painting illustrates a scene from Goethe´s Faust. Specifically, the moment when Margaret finds a jewelry box in her bedroom closet. Mephistopheles gave it to Faust as a tempting gift for his beloved. The young woman enjoys hanging a string of pearls around her neck and observing the beautiful results in the mirror. A spinning wheel is visible in the dark background. This work shows the influe
Shortly after his arrival in Spain in 1753, Giaquinto embarked on a series of eight canvases on scenes from the Passion for the King’s Oratory in the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid. The series also included the altarpiece, which depicted The Holy Trinity (P-5444). Christ is brought before Pilate who, seated in the background, aims to achieve a balance between his own opinion regarding the innocence
A New Testament scene (Luke 1, 26-38) that depicts the Archangel Gabriel´s Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and her acceptance of the fact that she will become the Mother of God through the intercession of the Holy Ghost. The Virgin is accompanied by three of her traditional attributes: a sewing basket and book, which symbolize her hard work and devotion; and a spray of lilies, which symbolize her
On August 10, 1759, Ferdinand VI died without a descendant. As a result, his stepbrother Charles, then King of Naples and Sicily, inherited the Spanish throne. The first of seven children of Philip V and his second wife Isabel Farnese, Charles VII had reigned for a period of almost 24 years in Naples. In 1738, he had married the Pricess María Amalia of Saxony, and their thirteen children we
Charles III described Maria Amalia of Saxony (1724-1760) as possessing the wit of an angel, and felt himself to be the happiest and most fortunate man in the world. The portrait of his young wife reflects his affectionate words and the complicity between the married couple, since appearing in it is the crown that Charles wore in Palermo on the day of his enthronement as King of Naples and Sicily.
The sketch, almost schematic character of this composition makes this one of the most attractive bullfighting scenes ever painted by Fortuny. It offers a panoramic view of a bullring -probably in Madrid- in which the powerful contrast of light between the part in the sun and the part in the shade is outstanding. The painter treats the hustle and bustle of the spectators as an undefined mass, with
This painting depicts the moment when the Spanish fleet commanded by the Marquis of La Victoria leaves the port of Naples after having taken aboard the new monarch, Charles III, and his family. Accompanied by a considerable retinue, they were bound for Barcelona to begin their Spanish reign. The work bears the following inscription: His Catholic Majesty Embarking on the 6th day of October 1759 in
This canvas is one of a group of eight painted by Giaquinto shortly after his arrival in Spain in 1753. It was painted for the King’s Prayer Chamber in the Buen Retiro palace. The series was devoted to the Passion and this canvas depicts Christ in prayer with the Apostles asleep in the background and the soldiers advancing towards the garden of Gethsemane in the far distance.
This canvas was part of a series on the Passion that decorated the private oratory of Ferdinand VI in the Buen Retiro palace until 1808. Giaquinto establishes a contrast between Christ’s submission and resignation and the violence of the torturers as they humiliate him, brutally placing the crown of thorns on his head. The artist’s Roman training is evident in the classical poses of the figures.
A group of sorrowful figures is illuminated by the rays of divine light which pierce the darkness that fell with the death of Christ, shown lying in his mother’s lap and anointed by Mary Magdalene. The canvas belongs to a series on the Passion that decorated the private oratory of Ferdinand VI in the Buen Retiro palace until 1808 when it was dismantled, entering the Prado in 1818.
In Book II of his Metamorphosis, Ovid tells how Jupiter tricked Callisto. This very beautiful nymph who was part of Diana the Huntress´ entourage was seduced by Jupiter, who took on the appearance of that goddess. When she became pregnant, Callisto attempted to hide her state from Diana, who was a virgin and demanded the same of all her entourage. Jupiter converted his lover into a bear in order t
La efigie muestra al único hijo varón de Luis XV y de Maria Lecszinska, hija de Estanislao Lecszinski, rey de Polonia y más tarde duque de Lorena. Nació en Versalles el 4 de septiembre de 1729 y falleció en Fontainebleau el 20 de diciembre de 1765. Se casó el 23 de febrero de 1745 con una hija de Felipe V, la infanta María Teresa Rafaela de Borbón, que falleció al dar a luz una niña. En 1747 contr
The Infanta (1743-1749), the daughter of Charles III, is seen playing with a little dog, as in another portrait of her at an earlier age and in that of The Family of Philip V. The picture may have been sent to Spain from Naples, or brought with him by Charles III when he ascended to the throne of Spain, in memory of his daughter, by then already deceased.
Obra perteneciente a una serie para el oratorio del Rey, en el Palacio del Buen Retiro. En ella vemos a Cristo que se esfuerza en portar la Cruz, caído en el suelo, rodeado de sayones que, en difíciles escorzos, pugnan por levantarle. En segundo término, dos jinetes portando enseñas y banderas y, en lejanía, el Calvario con las dos cruces para los ladrones ya alzadas. Como sus lienzos compañeros,
This scene from Book VI of Ovid´s Metamorphosis, shows the god Jupiter´s seduction of the nymph, Antiope. This very beautiful nymph was seduced by the Lord of Olympus, who took the form of a satyr for the occasion. Pierre depicts the moment of the initial trickery, when Antiope abandons herself in Jupiter´s embrace. The plasticity of the figures and the pastel color scheme are outstanding, and rai
Figura masculina sentada en una nube, mirando hacia la derecha y por encima de la cabeza una tela flotante. En la misma composición hay un estudio de manos para la misma figura. Dibujo preparatorio para la figura correspondiente en la parte central del fresco la Apoteosis de Hércules pintado antes de 1769, en la bóveda de la Sala de Conversación del Cuarto de los Príncipes de Asturias, hoy convert
Figura femenina sentada en una nube con la cabeza de perfil derecho. Dibujo preparatorio para la figura correspondiente en la parte inferior izquierda del fresco de la Apoteosis de Hércules, pintado antes de 1769, correspondiente en la bóveda de la Sala de Conversación del Cuarto de los Príncipes de Asturias, hoy convertida en salón de los Espejos o de la Música del Palacio Real de Madrid (Texto e
