This opulent still-life scene typical of the Baroque Flemish school includes a human figure and two animals, as was common in the period, in accordance with the tastes of the clients, whose wealth and prosperity was also reflected in this genre of paintings. Snyders´ clientele were members of the nobility and haute bourgeoisie who were interested in his paintings as testimonies to wealth as well a
On what appears to be a wooden table or ledge we see boiled crabs and shrimp, several freshwater fish (two carp, a roach, possibly several ide, and a northern pike), a dark glass goblet, a brass candlestick with a partially burnt but flameless candle, a copper strainer with a brass skimmer and two artichokes, and a Rhenish stoneware jug. Reflected on its lid is a self-portrait of the artist with a
On 14 February 1612 Juan Bautista Maíno signed the contract to execute the paintings for the monastery church of San Pedro Mártir in Toledo. Maíno agreed to a period of eight months to make the paintings, which had to portray the scenes and episodes specified by the prior of the monastery. Despite the agreement reached in the contract, the paintings were not completed until De
In 1724, Antonio Palomino, who had been Juan Carreño de Miranda’s disciple, included his teacher’s biography in his Parnaso español pintoresco y laureado. Their close relationship makes that text a highly informative source of first-hand information. Palomino wrote: Two other works by his hand (though early) are the paintings on the facing side walls of the church of El Caballero de
This still life of birds and fish is set in a kitchen. In the centre of the composition is a duck and other birds hanging from hooks while on the left is a basket of small fish. Montalvo’s careful, solid brushstroke convincingly reproduces the details and conveys the tactile qualities of the dead animals and other objects.
The artist has arranged the objects in the traditional manner, locating them in the immediate foreground in order to achieve greater visual impact. The result is a simple composition but one with a marked degree of lifelikeness. It is influenced by the still lifes of similar motifs painted by the Neapolitan artist Giuseppe Recco (1634-1695), albeit without their decorative quality.
This attractive and singular mid-17th-century Spanish still life was originally thought to be by Antonio de Pereda, due to its similarity to two canvases at the Museo de Arte Antiga in Lisbon, which he signed and dated in 1651. However, notwithstanding its approximate resemblance to Pereda’s creations, a convincing attribution has yet to be encountered. Foodstuffs and utensils are scattered in com
The theme of this triptych is the advent of salvation -a message about the universality of Redemption. The Eucharistic meaning inherent in the theme of Saint Gregory’s Mass is also found in The Adoration of the Magi in the wheat stored in the upper part of the hut, above the figure of the Antichrist. Unusually, Bosch includes in his depiction of the Mass of Saint Gregory in semi-grisaille seven Pa
A man stands before a dark background, portrayed more than half-length with his torso bare and his hair and beard white from age. With his left hand he holds a cross and with his right he holds a hook caught in the mouth of a fish. Both motifs allow us to identify him as the apostle Saint Andrew. The X-shaped cross recalls the one on which he was crucified and the fish with a hook is a reminder th
Two splendid sea breams play the leading role here. They are surrounded by lesser motifs, including oranges, a kitchen towel, a head of garlic, and packet of what is probably spice, two terracotta bowls from Alcorcón, a long-handled pan, a mortar whose pestle leans into the background, and a cruet that participates in this work’s careful study of light as a means of defining volumes, divers
This painting shows the moment when, following an angel’s instructions, Tobias pulls out an enormous fish’s heart and entrails to cure his father’s blindness with them (Book of Tobit: VII, 15). The setting is a landscape with a flowing river that runs diagonally behind the figures. Three fifths of the canvas are occupied by the sky, beginning at the top with an intense blue and concluding at the h
Giuseppe Recco, a member of one of the most famous families of Neapolitan still-life painters in the seventeenth century, was born in Naples on 12 July 1634. His vast output was consistently high in quality and is characterised by a marked cultural eclecticism, taking in a number of different still-life styles, from Spanish to northern European to Roman, with an unusual iconographic versatility.In
Saint Anthony, whom the artist has been able to place in the immediate foreground of this panel by using a landscape format, closely resembles the saint depicted in the Saint Anthony triptych in Lisbon; he is wearing the same habit, the distinctive cape bearing the Tau cross and the customary rosary with a little bell. This large-scale figure, occupying most of the available space on the left of t
At a small Mediterranean harbour with a fortress in the background, a prosperous gentleman examines the fish a beautiful fisherwoman offers him, while an elderly woman seems to have greater expectations of this promising transaction. This is a sketch for the tapestry cartoon executed by Zacarías González Velázquez for the Pieza de Damas at the Palace of El Pardo.
This emblematic picture is undoubtedly the best-known work on a social theme produced by Sorolla in his youth. It is also an especially good example of how fully the artist became involved in a genre which, at the time, was of particular relevance in Madrid’s official artistic circles, where Sorolla was determined to receive his first public recognition. The depth of its meaning is probably indica
This painting is illustrative of the beach scenes monopolised in Utrecht by the Willaerts family, who combined the two typical genres of Dutch painting in their work: seascapes and genre scenes. They are derived from similar compositions by Hendrick Cornelisz. Vroom (ca. 1566-1640), although the lower horizon line employed by Adam Willaerts endows the scenes with greater spatial depth which is fur
Seated on a throne, the Virgin holds the Christ Child in her lap. On the right, Saint Jerome dressed as a Cardinal reads the Vulgata (The Bible he, himself, translated into Latin). The Archangel Raphael, with the lion that symbolizes him, stands with Tobias, who holds the fish with which he will cure his father´s blindness. This work is known as The Virgin with a Fish, and was commissioned by Gero
This painting is ascribed to the school of Teniers in the royal collections, although after entering the Prado it is listed in the catalogue as an original work by that painter. This raises the question of when the signature D. Ten. on the lower right was added. The 1873 Prado publication describes this signature as apocryphal and assigns the painting to Hendryk Martensz. Rokes, called Sorgh or Zo