A portrait of a Venetian soldier wearing armor. He holds a baton in his right hand and his weapons in his left. Turned, he extends his arm toward the viewer, thus opening a third dimension in this composition strengthened by the force of his gaze. It has not been possible to confirm the identity of the sitter, but we must point out the similarity of this work's general composition to that of the p
Hijo de Guillermo de Orange y de Luisa de Coligny, a la muerte de Mauricio de Nassau continúa la lucha por la independencia de Holanda. Militar de fuerte personalidad y sólido carácter; Van Dyck lo simboliza en la pared y la pilastra de piedra que finge a espaldas del retrato. El casamiento de sus hijos con príncipes de Inglaterra y de Alemania consolida su prestigio en Europa. Fue elegido stadtho
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
The island of Saint Christopher (modern-day Saint Kitts) in the Lesser Antilles was invaded by the English and French and recaptured by Spanish forces in 1629. The Spanish expedition was led by Fadrique de Toledo y Osorio, I Marquis of Villanueva de Valdueza and Captain General of the Ocean Fleet. He was accompanied by Fleet General Martín de Vallecilla and Admiral Antonio de Oquendo. After
Juan Francisco Alfonso de Pimentel Ponce de León, 10th Count and 7th Duke of Benavente (1584-1652), is portrayed more than half length with a whole host of attributes that confirm is supreme military rank in the Spanish army. In addition to gentleman-in-waiting to Phillip IV, he was appointed captain general in charge of frontier defense during the Portuguese uprising (1641) and participate
Alfonso d´Avalos, first Marchese del Vasto, was born in Ischia on 25 May 1502 to a noble Neapolitan family of Castilian origins. He fought in Pavia (1525) under the orders of his uncle Fernando d´Avalos, Marchese di Pescara, inheriting his titles and estates on his uncle´s death that same year. In 1535 D´Avalos commanded the army that conquered Tunis and in 1538, he was appointed governor of Milan
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
This painting celebrates the freeing of the Swiss town of Constance from its besiegement by Swedish troops under General Horn, who sought to cut off communication between imperial troops and Spanish soldiers at La Valtellina and the Duchy of Milan. Along with The Storming of Rheinfelden (P637) and The Capture of Breisach (P859), this is one of the three paintings at the Hall of Realms that commemo
Painted in Bergamo, this canvas reveals Moroni’s innate gifts as a portraitist, which were based on his remarkable ability to offer an objective depiction of real life in which the Lombardo-Venetian tradition combined with his knowledge of northern art. Moroni was more concerned to convey his sitters’ physical appearance or social position than to investigate their personality in any depth. The id
Educated as a young man in France and Florence, in 1527 Pier Maria Rossi (1504-1547), Seventh Count of San Secondo, was in the service of Clement VII but that same year entered the employment of Charles V. Vasari recounts that Parmigianino (to whom this work has been unanimously attributed following its restoration) escaped from Parma to San Secondo in around 1538 in order to avoid problems relati
The Recapture of Bahía de Todos los Santos was commissioned from Maíno towards the end of 1634. The artist was still working on it on 24 March 1635, date on which he received the first 18,600 maravedíes on account, corresponding to an order of payment from the Chief Notary of the Council of Aragon, Jerónimo de Villanueva (died 1653). Maíno completed the painting
Pedro Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo Silva y Mendoza Salm Salm, XIII duque del Infantado (Madrid, 1768-1841), fue ministro de Estado y presidente del Gobierno (1824-1826).El duque está retratado de cuerpo entero, a sus cincuenta y nueve años, ante un paisaje de campo abierto. Viste uniforme de capitán general, sobre el que luce la gran cruz y banda de la orden de Carlos III e insignia y banda del Toi
La obra representa a Pedro de Medici (1554-1604), hijo de Cosme I que mantuvo estrechos vínculos con España, estando presente en Madrid durante los reinados de Felipe II y Felipe III. La identificación del personaje parece confirmarse por el enorme parecido del retratado en la obra del Museo del Prado con el que de don Pedro conserva la Galería de los Uffizi, debido a Santi de Tito y fechado entre
A full-length portrait of Federico Flórez as a boy, wearing the uniform of the School of Noble Students of Madrid. This work is especially significant in Madrazo´s oeuvre, as it is one of the few examples of a portrait in a landscape. The evocation of Velasquez´s world is combined with the approach of European Romanticism, including a sensationalist lighting that envelops the figure in a cr
This painting depicts the battle of Fleurus, near Brussels, which pitted troops from the Catholic League commanded by General Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba against Protestant Union soldiers led by Count Ernst von Mansfeld and Prince Christian of Brunswick. The Catholic League’s victory on August 29, 1622 freed Brussels—governed at that time by Isabel Clara Eugenia—from the threat pose
In a space half-way between a private living-room and an artist’s studio, a family adopts a group pose. The well-to-do surroundings of the group, whose identity has yet to be determined, reflect the orderly world of the bourgeoisie, where everyone has their own place. In the centre is the uniformed father, who is painting a battle scene while his wife plays a piece on the piano and his daughters a
The illustrious soldier, Antonio Ricardos y Carrillo, is depicted by Goya in the battle dress of a Captain General, with the sash of the Order of Carlos III and the plaque of that same order on his dress coat. The scallop of the Order of Santiago on his lapel and the triple braid on his cuffs complete the symbols of this general´s high rank. The portrait was made shortly after his death, as he was
The baton in the sitter’s right hand and the cannon indicate that he is an artillery general, while the insignia hanging from his neck denotes his membership of the Order of Calatrava. Stylistically this canvas is clearly indebted to the work of Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641).