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These two canvases (The Adoration of the Magi, P1129 and The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, P1130) were part of a small altar piece in the convent of Los Angéles in Madrid, a work that also included The Annunciation (P1128). The present canvases are typical of the mature style of this artist, who made masterly use of a range of warm colours applied with an extremely free brushstroke i
These two canvases (The Adoration of the Magi, P1129 and The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, P1130) were part of a small altar piece in the convent of Los Angéles in Madrid, a work that also included The Annunciation (P1128). The present canvases are typical of the mature style of this artist, who made masterly use of a range of warm colours applied with an extremely free brushstroke i
The wheel by the figure’s feet, her palm of martyrdom and crown identify her as Saint Catherine who received the wedding ring from the Infant Christ in reward for her virtue. The basket in the foreground demonstrates Cerezo’s outstanding abilities as a still-life painter.
The impetus of the dashing, powerful and monumental angel comes from Ribera. The conception of space and of the sky, with clouds that grow denser in the area just over the luminous horizon, seeks an effect of mass, and of notable solemnity and force. Behind the balustrade, a rose bush silhouetted by the light behind it stands out as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. The meticulously detailed carpet, wi
Evoking the model of the great equestrian portraits painted for the Spanish Habsburgs by Titian, Rubens and Velázquez, Giordano offers his own idealised and triumphal depiction of Maria Anna of Neuburg. The Queen is shown in a landscape that recalls the Bay of Naples, both accompanied by allegorical figures. It is not clear if these canvases were the bases for large-scale portraits of the m
Rizi frequently depicted the subject of the Adoration of the Shepherds. In this version he emphasizes the contrast between the Holy Family and the shepherds who have come to worship the Christ Child. The lively, naturalistic depiction of the shepherds is offset by the serenity of the holy figures, depicted in a traditionally idealised manner.
This pair of portraits (P01220 and P01222) combines several aspects of Spanish portraiture of the Baroque period. In principle, the figures of Philip IV and his second wife, Mariana of Austria, are a continuation of the donor-tradition that goes back to medieval religious painting. The client would be incorporated, kneeling or prostrate in a reverential position, into the religious scene that he o
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).
A large auto-da-fé took place in Madrid on 30 June 1680 in the Plaza Mayor, presided over by the young Charles II (reigned 1665-1700) and his mother, Mariana of Austria, who are shown here beneath a canopy. Organised by the Inquisition, autos-da-fé were public ceremonies involving prisoners condemned for crimes against religion. Rizi’s canvas is the finest and most detailed depiction
Here we are presented with a young man, elegantly dressed in black, standing within a landscape beside a horse whose mane is richly adorned with blue ribbons and bows. The man wears his hair very long, as was popular during the reign of Charles II, and carries a sword at his side. Hanging on his chest is a pendant with the cross of the Order of Saint James, which also appears prominently on his ca
Along with P00632, this is the only surviving testimony to the series of likenesses of kings that adorned the monarch’s bedroom or Room of Furies at the Alcázar in Madrid, and was later at the Hall of Comedies or Golden Hall. The painters commissioned for this series were: Félix Castello, Jusepe Leonardo, Antonio Arias, Francisco Camilo, Francisco Fernández, Pedro Nú&nt
An extremely broad development certainly makes this one of the most ambitious and complex depictions of the Immaculate Conception ever painted in Madrid, as well as one of the finest by this painter. In an iconographic sense, it closely follows the traditional model for this subject, presenting the Virgin as the Woman of the Apocalypse (chap. XII, 1).Upright and walking on the lunar globe, crowned
This painting presents the moment when the Archangel Gabriel, holding a spray of lilies, appears to the Virgin Mary and announces that she will give birth to the Son of God. Mary is depicted kneeling at prayer before an open book resting on a table, at the foot of which sits a sewing basket that alludes to the domestic seclusion in which she lived. The Annunciation proved to be one of the most pop
This pair of portraits (P001220 and P001222) combines several aspects of Spanish portraiture of the Baroque period. In principle, the figures of Philip IV and his second wife, Mariana of Austria, are a continuation of the donor-tradition that goes back to medieval religious painting. The client would be incorporated, kneeling or prostrate in a reverential position, into the religious scene that he
This man, standing in the close foreground and occupying almost the entire height of the painting, is a soldier, as the various elements of his dress attest: the broad-brimmed hat, adorned with a feather, which he holds in his left hand; the sash crossing his chest from which hangs a sword; the military cassock; the riding boots with one very visible spur. The richness of detail in the execution o
This is a very significant example of Camilo´s skill at representing uncommon narrative events. It presents one of the episodes in the story of desecration and offense to a crucifix by a family of Portuguese Jews in Madrid in 1630. The episode was exploited by a political faction opposed to the Count Duke, whom they accused of tolerance toward the Jews. It stirred feelings in Madrid and led to the
The saint appears kneeling on steps. His right hand seems to adopt the gesture of holding the Rosary offered by the Virgin, whose outline is merely sketched on the left side of the composition. In front of the figure of the saint, three cherubim play with the black and white dog that symbolises the Dominican Order with the orb and the torch. It appears to be a preparatory study for a large format
Mary Magdalen is depicted in the centre of the composition. She is kneeling in left profile before a wooden crucifix tied to the branches of a tree. She holds disciplinary scourges in her right hand, while in her left hand, she holds a cloth to cover her naked figure. To the right of the composition, demons flee from the scene. In the foreground, three cherubim hold the iconographic symbols that i
