This oil sketch is also known as Alfonso X’s occupation of the Cádiz waters. This is the sketch for the painting kept in the Alcázar of Segovia (oil on canvas, 250 x 300cm), intended for the competition organised by the Academia de Bellas Artes de Cádiz in 1865. In addition, the Museo del Prado keeps a preparatory drawing (D002379).It depicts, as an iconographic subject, the m
On June 5, 1625 the Dutch governor of Breda, Justinus van Nassau, surrendered the keys of that city to Ambrosio Spínola, the Genoese general commanding the Spanish tercios (a group of soldiers that included pikemen, swordsmen and musketeers) of Flanders. Breda`s extraordinary strategic importance made it one of the most disputed cities in the Spanish monarchy`s prolonged war against the Uni
Comprising three panels, the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi and the Presentation in the Temple, this painting is earlier than the triptych on the same subject painted by Memling for Jan Floreins in 1479. It is clearly influenced by Van der Weyden, as are other works by the artist. In this work, the unified space represented in the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi is noteworthy. It was a
Peasants or villagers hold a feast in front of a tavern or inn, recognizable by its red flag. They drink, eat and dance to the music of a bagpiper standing on a barrel. On the left, various distinguished personages, who stand out because of their different clothing, look on with a combination of curiosity and indifference. A large church in the background indicates there is a town nearby. On the b
This is one of Bellevois`s characteristic seascapes designed to capture the atmospheric effects of the North Sea. Accordingly, in the rendering of the various elements -figures, vessels and background buildings- the artist is more concerned with blending all the features into the atmosphere than with depicting detail. The composition is structured into three planes staggered spatially towards the
Mounted on a white steed and flanked by an angel bearing a flag, Saint James gallops over a multitude of fallen Moors and horses. The battle scene occupies a rocky landscape in the middle ground. This canvas is a sketch for the elliptical dome at the entrance to the Royal Palace’s chapel and was painted by Giaquinto between 1756 and 1757. The canvas and its corresponding fresco are clearly derived
This painting was listed in the Museum`s inventories and catalogues as an anonymous work by the Dutch school, although in the 1889 catalogue it was noted that Bredius had suggested it should be attributed to Aert Anthonisz (1580-1620).On stylistic grounds the scene could be considered comparable with the output of Claes Claesz. Wou during the last stage in his career, by which time the rigid Manne
This delicately executed cabinet painting depicts an ascent in a hot air balloon that took place in London in 1785. Although Rigaud includes the trip’s organiser and aeronautical enthusiast Vincenzo Lunardi waving with his hat, the only two people actually present were the artilleryman George Biggin and the famous actress Letitia Ann Sage, the first British woman to make a balloon flight.
The foreground display of numerous military elements, banners, drums, cuirasses and weapons, leads to a genre painting showing some soldiers resting in the background. On the left of the composition, one of the pages works to hang up the soldiers' clothes. Here, as in his other works, Teniers shows his capacity to use light to achieve a perfect representation of the qualities of the objects depict
On his throne, wearing a red tunic and holding the globe of the World in his left hand, Christ offers his blessing with his right. He is flanked by figures representing the Church and the Synagogue and surrounded by the Tetramorph. Christ is presented as the Savior of the world in this work that contrasts the figure of the Synagogue, with Moses’s tablets and a torn banner; and the figure of the Ch
This panel inlaid with mother-of-pearl executed in New Spain is part of a group of twenty-four pieces that narrate the capture of Mexico.
This canvas is one of the fundamental works of Spanish Romantic painting. It is also considered the first important painting of this genre throughout the prolific career of Federico de Madrazo, who would later dedicate himself almost exclusively to portraits. It is Poussinesque in size (one-third of life-size), following the academic trend at that time. The canvas depicts an episode of the Second
This painting depicts the baptism of Prince Juan. It is based on the description of that event from Historia de los Reyes Católicos (History of the Catholic Kings) by Andrés Bernáldez, published in 1856. The documentary rigor of this text is transferred to the canvas, so we can speak here of the archeological veracity with which Pradilla reconstructed that historical event. Th
Among the commissions that Correa made for the former monastery of the Bernardine fathers at Santa María la Real de Valdeiglesias are a group of three panels with scenes from the Passion of Christ. Their representations in circular compositions and many stylistic similarities indicate that they belonged to the same set. These three panels depict three successive stories: Pilate washing his
Scattered around the room we see a large drum and pieces of several sets of armour –one of them still on its stand– and pistols and harquebusses hanging on the wall, on which a flag is also draped. In the background, several men, perhaps soldiers in civilian clothes, are smoking and drinking. Abraham Teniers repeats, with few variants, some of the famous compositions of his brother, the famous Dav
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
Es un fragmento de una composición mayor. Figuró en la colección del duque del Arco (1745 y 1794). En 1818 consta en el Palacio de Aranjuez, desde donde es enviado al Museo (Texto extractado de Posada Kubissa, T.: Pintura holandesa en el Museo Nacional del Prado. Catálogo razonado, 2009, p. 190).
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