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This work and its companion (P6413) belonged to Jean de Croy, Count of Solre and captain of the Flemish Royal Guard of Archers, of which Van der Hamen was a member. Unframed, the two paintings hung in De Croy’s Madrid palace, where they flanked the entrance to the painting gallery. As such, they may have served as a trompe l’oeil expansion of the real space, whose floor they probably reproduce. Th
Double portraits of this type, which were common in the mid-nineteenth century, were generally painted when the son or daughter was presented in society. The mother, depicted as seated, represented an example to the daughter, normally shown standing. In this case the richly furnished room and the sitter`s clothes and jewels indicate the wealthy status of this well-known family of bankers.
The vault of the former Hall of Ambassadors at the Buen Retiro Palace, constructed alongside the former Royal Quarters of San Jerónimo at the behest of the Count-Duke of Olivares as a royal residence for leisure and for the monarchs’ public and official receptions. In the eastern part of this complex, a small building was erected after the palace itself was completed (1632). It was designed
This work and its companion (P4158) belonged to Jean de Croy, Count of Solre and captain of the Flemish Royal Guard of Archers, of which Van der Hamen was a member. Unframed, the two paintings hung in De Croy’s Madrid palace, where they flanked the entrance to the painting gallery. As such, they may have served as a trompe l’oeil expansion of the real space, whose floor they probably reproduce. Th
Dying of love is a theme often drawn from legendary literature, and was recurrent in nineteenth-century Spanish painting. Beginning with the story Juan Yagüe found in the Archives of the Moot Halls of Teruel, Degrain depicts the impossible love between Isabel Segura and the empoverished nobleman, Diego de Marsilla, which occurred in 1212. The painter chooses the tragic outcome of the two love
Charles II stands in the Alcázar Palace’s Hall of Mirrors, alongside a porphyry table held up by two of Mateo Bonuccelli’s gilded bronze lions. The monarch is dressed in black silk, as was cutomary in royal portraits of the Spanish branch of the Habsburg dynasty since the time of Philip II. He wears the Golden Fleece on a necklace and has a sword on his belt. He holds a folded report in his
This depiction of Christ, lifeless on the cross and flanked by the Virgin Mary and Saint John, is considered one of the finest of many images of Calvary painted by this artist from Toledo. It is also a significant example of his painting, which owes much to the compositions and figurative models of his fundamental teacher in Toledo: El Greco. Finally, it reflects the Carravaggesque chiaroscuros sh
This work bears exceptional witness to the concurrence of Fortuny’s painting with that of his close friend, Raimundo de Madrazo. Begun by the former, it was completed after his death by the latter with a completely concordant style that does not, however, hide Madrazo’s own individuality. Fortuny had been living in Granada since the summer of 1870 and he spent the best days of his life there befor
Charles II stands in the Alcázar Palace’s Hall of Mirrors alongside a porphyry table held up by two of Mateo Bonuccelli’s gilded bronze lions. The monarch is dressed in black silk, as was customary in royal portraits of the Spanish branch of the Habsburg dynasty since the time of Philip II. He wears the Golden Fleece on a necklace and has a sword on his belt. He holds a folded report in his
This full-length statue of the Emperor Tiberius (42BC to 37AD) is striking in its combination of materials, also found in other works by Cordier such as the Saint Agnes made for the Roman church of that name and incorporating a classical alabaster bust. It is not known how the present work entered the collection of Queen Christina of Sweden, which was begun in the 1650s.
Dressed in early seventeenth-century style, the King of Spain (1605-1665) is shown as a youth, while still a prince. The baton and his decisive way of holding the reigns mark a classic attitude of power that gives the figure its appropriate sense of majesty. It was probably made by Pietro Tacca, given its similarity to other sculptures of his. The horse follows the model of the famous ancient stat
A medallion portraying the young Charles of Bourbon (1716-1788), recently proclaimed King of Naples and Sicily, who would become King Charles III of Spain in 1759. Shown in profile with a large wig and dressed all’antica, his breastplate bears a head of Medusa, an allusion to the mythological heroes, and the golden fleece, the symbol of the Order of the same name.
This scene is notable for the technical difficulty involved in carving porphyry. It depicts two cherubs, one of whom represents Sacred Love and the other Profane Love. They are seen fighting and the former defeats the latter. The work is a copy of the marble relief by François Duquesnoy (1597-1643) made to decorate the garden of one of the Roman villas of the Doria-Pamphilj family. The pres
Son of Hermes and Aphrodite, Hermaphrodite was a singularly handsome youth. According to Ovid (Metamorphoses 4, 285 ff.) Salmacis, the nymph from a lake in Caria, was enthralled by his beauty and passionately embraced him while he was bathing. Their two bodies merged as one, with double gender. This sculpture, commissioned by Velázquez in Italy for the decoration of Madrid´s Alcázar
A brilliant orator and politician, Cicero (106-43 BC) became the literary reference for the values of Roman culture. This bust retains the original inscription with his name and age at his death in Roman numerals. The head is later and reproduces a well known model that was in the Mattei collection in Rome (now in London).
This is a late Hellenistic head set on a bust, the tiger skin transforming the subject into a young Dionysus. The ivy wreath, over which another bronze one would have been placed, tends to confirm this identification although the hairstyle is not the habitual type for depictions of the god of wine. This may be the head of one of the so-called “mute servants” that decorated Roman residences.
The classical hero, accompanied by his dogs, takes on the wild boar of Caledonia who was devastating Attica, as told in the well-known mythological tale. This theme often appeared on sarcophagi and ancient sculptures that came to light during the Renaissance, inspiring numerous artists. With this sculptural group, Bandini sought to show the Duke of Urbino his skills with bronze after the latter ch
A small equestrian statue on a gilded wooden base. The Spanish king, Carlos II (1661-1700) wears epic clothing of Roman character, holding a scepter in his right hand and the reins of his horse in the left. His heroic and powerful posture is strengthened by the rearing position of his steed. Foggini made various sketches for this work, which he modeled after the Baroque bronze artist, Pietro Tacca
