Cuadro de la serie con escenas de la vida de san Benito que adornaban el claustro del monasterio de San Martín. Felipe de Castro (ca. 1750/1764) se limitó a señalar que "las pinturas del claustro son de mano de Fray Juan Ricci" y Ponz (V, 1776, 5.a división, párrafo 15) que "las [pinturas] de la Vida del mismo Santo en el claustro son de Fr. Juan Rizi, Religioso de la Orden; y de su misma mano son
This is a sketch for a no-longer extant painting on canvas intended to decorate a ceiling in a building of the imperial court of Russia, whose memory is preserved in an engraving made by Giambattista´s youngest son Lorenzo. The engraving forms a set with another three, two of which were also made by Lorenzo, on the basis of original works by his father, as part of the same commission. The en
The position of the figures, looking at each other, is common for diptych paintings. However, we do not know if these were originally painted as pendants to each other. In 1597, this panel and Virgin Mary (P1562) were described in the Escorial as two “doors” of the same object. They may have been acquired as separate paintings and then hinged together as a diptych in the Royal Collection. Some sch
This set of paintings on the five senses was one of the most successful collaborations of Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel “the Elder”. Rubens placed his figures in the magnificent courtly scenes created by Brueghel as settings for these allegories of the senses, resulting in a series of enormous quality and esthetic appeal. The subject was widely employed in Flemish painting. Sight was consider
This dramatic scene from the Old Testament (Numbers 21, 5-9) depicts the moment when Moses saves his people from the snakes sent by God as punishment for their lack of faith. The bronze serpent on a rod, whose mere contemplation is sufficient to cure anyone bitten by a snake, symbolizes salvation. The image thus foreshadows Christ’s crucifixion, which brings redemption to humankind and triumphs ov
The shepherds gather around the Christ Child to adore him and offer him their gifts: a lamb, some hens and a basket of eggs, in a scene that is conceived as a humble counterpart to the Adoration of the Magi. The composition, chiaroscuro technique and figure types suggest a knowledge of the work of Ribera.
The illustrious soldier, Antonio Ricardos y Carrillo, is depicted by Goya in the battle dress of a Captain General, with the sash of the Order of Carlos III and the plaque of that same order on his dress coat. The scallop of the Order of Santiago on his lapel and the triple braid on his cuffs complete the symbols of this general´s high rank. The portrait was made shortly after his death, as he was
This architectural landscape showing the ancient Roman city of Benevento, near Naples, was painted around 1759 by Antonio Joli of Modena. A painter of theatre sets and vedute, Joli worked for theatres in Venice, London and Madrid, and painted numerous scenes for private collectors, which show the influence of Giovanni Paolo Panini, Gaspare Vanvitelli and Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto). In 1756
Nani depicts a partridge and a female duck tied to a tree, a thrush and two quails, one of them already plucked and skinned in preparation for cooking. While the birds’ different states refer to various stages in the hunt, the decorative nature of the composition prevails over their realistic appearance. This canvas was commissioned by the heir to the throne, the future Charles IV, for the Royal P
Retrato de busto con traje blanco y lazo en el pecho, igual al que sujeta el tocado de encaje. Antonieta Poisson, conocida como Madame Pompadour, favorita de Luis XV, nació en Paris el 29 de diciembre de 1721 y murió en Versalles el 14 de abril de 1764.La pintura reproduce el busto de la célebre favorita según el retrato de cuerpo entero que el artista le realizó poco antes de morir y que la model
The Archangel Gabriel has descended from the heavens and kneels before Mary to announce the birth of Christ. The Angel holds some white lilies symbolising purity in his left hand while with the right he points to the Holy Spirit. Mary kneels in prayer, her hands crossed on her breast in a gesture of acceptance. The use of chiaroscuro suggests that this is an early work.
According to Nani himself, this still life depicts: a “rest during the hunt with a hat on the ground” and the hunter’s bagged game. The dead animals are shown in different states: the hare still bleeding, the partridge already skinned and one of the three partridges plucked. Together, the birds present a realistic vision, albeit one subordinated to the decorative nature of the composition. This ca
A poorly dressed blind man stands out against a dark background. With his hands, he touches a sculpted bust on a table that also bears a painting of a face. The work was signed by Jusepe de Ribera in 1632, but even without that signature there would be no doubt as to its authorship, as both its style and its subject matter are typical of his work. The figure is quintessentially Riberesque, as are
La Magdalena penitente de Giordano ilustra sobre las dudas que sus imitaciones suscitaron en épocas diversas. A pesar de que ingresó en la Colección Real en el siglo XVIII con la atribución correcta, muy pronto fue citada como obra de Ribera, Murillo y otros, hasta que a mediados de 1950 fuera restituida al artista napolitano. Giordano imita el ambiente cerrado, oscuro y desértico del maestro vale
Quentin Massys was one of the leading Flemish painters of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century and developed his professional career in Antwerp. The origin of this painting is unknown. It has belonged to the Royal Collection since the time of Philip II in the sixteenth century. The position of the figures, looking at each other, is common for diptych paintings. However, we do not know if
While this work has traditionally been identified as one of the sketches that Francisco Bayeu made for the lost compositions he painted in 1796 for the cloister of the convent of San Pascual in Aranjuez (Annunciation, Nativity, Ascension and Pentecost), that identification is actually erroneous, as Morales y Marín discovered in his two studies of that artist (1979 and 1995). After studying
This is a portrait of serviceman Francisco de Paula Copons y Navia, Count of Tarifa (1764–1842).