La retratada ha sido identificada por E. Puerto Mendoza (2020) con la archiduquesa María Ana de Austria (1683-1754), hija del emperador Leopoldo I y de Leonor de Neoburgo, lo que la convertía en sobrina de la reina de España Mariana de Neoburgo. Esta soberana probablemente lo exhibió en la galería de retratos familiares que tenía instalada en su cuarto de verano del Alcázar de Madrid. En su edad a
Joseph is a handsome and virtuous slave falsely accused of rape by his master´s wife, whose advances he has rejected. He is imprisoned, but eventually raised to the highest office by Pharaoh (Exodus: 39). Joseph and the Wife of Putiphar and Susannah and the Elders (P386) can be understood as parables of righteousness threatened and preserved, but here -as was usual for artists of the Renaissance a
Figura de más de medio cuerpo, en pie; lleva cruz de pedrería al cuello, pendiente de un collar de chatones, rubíes y perlas; diadema de pedrería; cuello y puños, de puntas; mangas de color gris verdoso con adornos dorados y rojos.
In this three-quarter length standing portrait, the unknown lady is wearing a rich, slashed dress with loose sleeves in the Turkish fashion, decorated with gold brocade; the dress is adorned with the gold chains which give the portrait its title. Her face is highlighted against the dark background, and she gazes directly at the viewer, as in all Mor’s portraits.
Mengs painted these portraits of the heirs to the Spanish throne -the prince and princess of Asturias, Carlos de Borbón and Maria Luisa of Parma- on the occasion of their wedding. As the daughter of Philip I, Duke of Parma, and Louise Isabelle of France, and thus granddaughter of Kings Philip V and Louis XV, Maria Luisa was Queen Consort of Spain between 1788 and 1808. She wears a light-col
In 1640, Van Dyck married Mary Ruthven in England. This lady of Scottish origin died in 1645. He portrayed his wife with her hair pulled back and an oak-leaf headdress alluding to her husband´s name, which means “oak” or “holm oak” in Dutch. She wears a shiny blue dress with a large décolleté, a pearl necklace and a bracelet with which she plays before the viewer in a gesture of clea
Mariana of Austria (1634-1696) was the daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand III and María of Hungary. It was intended that she marry her cousin, Prince Baltasar Carlos, but following his death she married Philip IV in 1649. Velázquez executed this portrait after his return from Italy. The elaborate clothing, chair and curtain emphasise the sitter`s rank while the table clock alludes to
The figure represented in this painting is identified as a doctor on account of the ring on the thumb of his left hand. This could be Luis Mercado, physician to Philip II, or Rodrigo de la Fuente, a personal friend of El Greco’s and a very influential figure in Toledo at that time. The work is cited in the 1686 inventory of the Alcázar Palace of Madrid, where it remained until the fire of 1
Maria of Austria, the daughter of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal, was born in 1528. In 1548 she married her cousin, the Archduke Maximilian. She reigned as empress from 1564 to 1576, and in 1580 returned to Spain, entering the convent of Las Descalzas Reales (Madrid), where she remained until her death in 1603. This is a companion piece to a lifesize, full-length portrait of her husband (P-211
Atribuido a Antonio Moro, carece de inscripciones o de un escudo que permita identificar a esta dama joven, retratada por el pintor de Utrecht con el porte que corresponde a la nobleza de su cuna como en todos sus retratos. La muestra de pie y de más de medio cuerpo, en posición de tres cuartos. Como en otras ocasiones, la dirección de la mirada, desviada de la de la cabeza, no se dirige frontalme
In this portrait, Pedro Benítez sits informally on a chair, resting his left arm on its back while gazing frankly and directly at the viewer with whom he establishes an empathetic relationship. He is dressed in the fashion of the reign of Ferdinand VII, with a marvellous cravat emerging from his vest and a book in his right hand. Beside him, standing, is his daughter María de la Cruz
The two canvases P382 y P384 are by the same artist and were probably intended as a pair. Their meaning can be gleaned from L’arte de Cenni (1616), the most important treatise on gestures of its day, written by the jurist Giovanni Bonifacio. According to Bonifacio, revealing a bare breast signifies sincerity, “as the breast is the location of the heart and when referring to speaking truly and sinc
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.
Previously catalogued as Portrait of Titian’s Daughter Lavinia Vecellio by Veronese, this canvas of an unknown sitter was painted in Titian’s studio. The lively face, probably painted by Titian himself, contrasts with the routine treatment of the clothing, which is the work of assistants.
The daughter of Henri IV of France and Marie de Médicis, Isabel de Borbón (1603-1644) was the first wife of Philip IV and the mother of Prince Baltasar Carlos and María Teresa of Austria. In Villandrando’s portrait, painted a year before Isabel became Queen of Spain, she wears a stiff, sumptuous dress that emphasises her presence and royal status. Although Spanish in cut, the
In the mid-nineteenth century Federico de Madrazo produced some of the most successful portraits of the Spanish bourgeoisie during the reign of Isabel II (1833-68), presenting them with the opulence that their social status demanded. In addition to his remarkable artistic ability, his female portraits are outstanding for their depiction of the accessories and adornments. These details are emphasis
The sitter, a leading figure in Parisian social circles, was the daughter of the Duke of Santoña (the origin of whose fortune came, above all, from the slave trade and real estate investments), from whom she inherited the title of Marchioness of Manzanedo. This small canvas is one of the few female portraits painted by Meissonier, who displays his skill in the almost-miniaturist rendering o