Loading...
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
José Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba and XI Marquis of Villafranca was the husband of María Teresa de Silva, Duchess of Alba. He is portrayed full length, wearing a yellowish frock coat, a blue-speckled white vest, greenish grey stockings and black riding boots with spurs. The Duke leans on a desk that bears a violin and a black hat. In his hands he holds the score to Four Son
This splendid painting, which came from the Buen Retiro Palace, Madrid (where it was cited in a 1794 inventory), was until recently attributed to Giovanni Battista Ruoppolo (1626-1693), based on the hypothesis proposed by Alfonso E. Pérez Sánchez in 1967. Now, however, it represents one of the most important recent additions to the corpus of known works by the mysterious Master S.B.,
The visual arts are represented by a palette filled with brushes and an ancient head; music, by a score; literature by an inkwell and several books; and geography by a globe. This work´s character as a Vanitas is emphasized by the laurel-crowned skull at the left, an unmistakable symbol of death´s triumph and of the vanity of human achievements. The work´s symbolic content seems clear: the futilit
