A sketch for a ceiling at Madrid´s Royal Palace, painted in 1794. Bayeu used grisaille technique: a monochrome depiction in shades of gray and chestnut brown. The Spanish Monarchy is represented by an imposing matron wearing a helmet and surrounded by allegorical figures that constitute a group of considerable iconographic interest for which Bayeu had to conscientiously study the treatises then cu
This is a modellino for the canvas commissioned by Charles IV during his exile in Rome for the ceiling of a room in the Palazzo di Spagna. The artist and his royal client’s tastes are revealed in the use of quintessentially Raphaelesque models, evident in the face of the woman and the poses of the two small putti holding up the cartouches.
A posthumous portrait of Felipe II wearing full body armor, a cape and a hat and riding a horse. Victory crowns him with laurels. The background alludes to a battle, probably that of San Quentín in 1557.Inspired by the knightly ideas of the sixteenth century, this portrait is based on representations of Roman emperors that circulated on Flemish and Italian prints, as well as an image of Car
A figure suddenly appears on the left in a forge where various blacksmiths are working, dressed in an orange robe and wearing a laurel wreath, with rays of light emerging from his head. This is Apollo, who addresses himself to Vulcan, the blacksmith nearest to him, whose stance reveals his lameness. Everyone has stopped working, astonished by the news Apollo is recounting: the adultery of Vulcan`s
This painting commemorates events that took place in 1571: the defeat of the Turkish armada at Lepanto on October 7, and the birth of the infante Fernando, heir to the throne, on December 5th. The proximity of these two events led them to be viewed repeatedly as gifts from Heaven in circles close to the monarch. Thus, a letter from Luis de Requesens, Governer of Milan to Sancho de Padilla, dated D
In an architectural setting, a winged Victory crowns David with a laurel wreath. The latter holds his sword with one hand and looks directly at Goliath´s decapitated head, which rests on some pieces of armor. Three putti complete the group. One of them plays an instrument while another hands Victory the royal crown destined for David. This image alludes to a passage from the Old Testament (Samuel
During his visit to Valencia in 1802, the Literary University of the city gave the King this painting which shows the university, personified as a young matron, introducing the royal family to the various faculties: Theology, Law, Philosophy and Medicine. They are accompanied by the goddess Minerva, who points to Peace, Victory and Abundance, who fly over this symbolic reception.
This singular composition, which can be dated 1775, was painted at the height of the 18th century, although, in aesthetic terms, the Baroque was already in decline as it entered its final phase. Its decorative conception echoes the refinement of the rococo, although it draws much of its material from the anaglyphic repertory of the mature Renaissance—conveniently polished—when artists were recover
A model for the tapestry on the same subject that belongs to a series of eight about the Greek hero. The Story of Achilles is smaller than other projects by Rubens, but the quality of its sketches, models and tapestries make it one of his most important.Achilles vowed to take revenge on Hector for the death of his friend Patroclus. His anger with Agamemnon had subsided and he decided to take up ar
This preparatory sketch for the ceiling of Charles III’s former bedroom at the Royal Palace in Madrid depicts the Institution of the Order of Charles III following the birth of the King’s first male grandchild. A personification of Monarchy holds the newborn Infante in its arms, and the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Order, is depicted at the centre of the composition.
This decoration of the front of a chest depicts the seven Liberal Arts, accompanied by an equal number of figures that represent the most relevant personages in each discipline. All are being crowned with laurel wreaths by small angels. Astronomy presides over the composition, carrying the heavenly sphere, with Ptolomy (first and second centuries A.D.) sitting at his feet and reading one of the th
A young male spirit symbolizing Virtue sits at the foot of an oak tree wearing a laurel crown. He looks to the heavens offering the crown he obtained after his victory over Earthly Love. Conquered and stripped of his weapons —they lie on the ground— the latter is tied to a tree. Madrazo made this work during his stay in Rome, influenced by a subject with clear antecedents in Renaissance painting a
Herrera Barnuevo was Charles II`s court painter, executing portraits of him between 1667 and 1671. These images include numerous elements referring to the young monarch`s royal status. Here various putti support the sceptre, crown and palm while on the left another one lifts up the insignia of the Golden Fleece and a crowned eagle holds a laurel wreath.
The moralizing intention of this work shows the two paths that will tempt men over the course of their lives: Virtue and Vice. Virtue, wearing the crown of laurels that has been her symbol since Antiquity, and hiding her anatomy under ample vestments, takes the youth by the hand. Vice, in the form of a blond Venetian courtesan with a generous décolleté and numerous jewels, reaches ou
Parnassus, the mythological mountain of Apollo and the Muses is the scene for a celebration of the Arts, especially Poetry. Apollo offers the nectar of the gods to a poet, probably Homer, who is crowned with a laurel wreath by Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. The putti in the foreground offer the poets the water of inspiration that flows from the spring of Castalia, personified by the nude woman
In around 1915 a ceremony took place in which Jesús Valverde and Gabriel Morcillo – both pupils of Pla – celebrated the fact that the young Valverde had sufficiently prepared to progress from drawing to painting. The event took place in the studio on Calle San Marcos and was captured in a series of images.Among those depicted in this photograph are Carolina del Castillo, Pancho Cossí
The bust of a long-haired and mustached poet dressed in a cuirass appears in an exedra with attached columns. A winged figure flies towards him carrying laurel crowns in both hands. Apollo’s chariot appears above them, barely sketched in. Sánchez Cantón considers the signature original. Wethey dates this drawing from between 1660 and 1667. The Museo del Prado’s handwritten inventory
Dibujo en el que se representa una escena alegórica en la que Palas Atenea, entre nubes, señala a un anciano coronado de laurel con un libro bajo el brazo y en actitud de ascender una pendiente, la entrada de un pórtico resplandeciente. En primer término, a la derecha, Hércules matando a la hidra, y en el centro, unos amorcillos o genios revolotean con coronas de laurel.Seguramente el dibujo es pe