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In addition to the Roemer goblet, other glasses common in this kind of monochrome still life presented here include the Berkemeyer, in this case tipped over and broken, and the delicate Façon-de-Venise wineglass, in fashion at the time and likewise made in the Netherlands. Also featured is an exquisitely decorated silver goblet. Alongside them is a knife with a sheath and an open clock that
Because this work is signed and dated, it reveals the existence of a painter by the name of Felipe Ramírez, although art historians know virtually nothing else about him. This lovely example of his work makes it clear, however, that he continued the tradition of the variety of still life cultivated by Juan Sánchez Cotán (1560-1627), an artist who is considered the most origina
This still life forms part of the group of paintings Vroom dubbed monochrome banketjes or monochrome still lifes which were started in 1629 by Willem Claesz. Heda, but which Pieter Claesz. cultivated with equal mastery, to the point that these two painters are considered its leading exponents. The work is dated 1637 and signed with Claesz´s typical monogram and the enigmatic word TÉNESIUS I
Like Fortuna (P1674) and the Marriage of Peleus and Thetis (P1634), the Rape of Hippodamia was part of the massive cycle of mythologies designed by Peter Paul Rubens in 1636-37 for the Torre de la Parada, Philip IV´s newly constructed hunting lodge on the outskirts of Madrid. The oil sketch for this picture, now in Brussels (Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique), was largely replicated in the
This is one of the most successful of this painter´s many known Immaculate Conceptions, thanks to its serenity and exquisite beauty. His inventive capacity is continually visible in the vast repertoire of variations he brings to his treatment of a single religious subject. The symbols of the Marian litany are always present, but the angels´ heads are never the same, nor do their groups
Some limes, laid out with the artist's habitual disorder, occupy almost half the canvas. Behind them, a honey pot of the popular green-glazed type from Biar or Lucena shows the painter's eye for detail. In the background, a box of jelly lies open on a castañuela plate. Behind it, a silver or pewter saucer holds a Tonalá type Mexican ceramic cup. The butterfly hovering over it all is interesting fo
This painting formed part of the collection of the Marquis of Castro-Serna (Madrid) where, according to Michel (1887) -who repeats information given by Alfonso de Stuers- it appeared in 1887 as a pendant to the portrait of Nicolaes Pancras (whereabouts unknown). Gudlaugsson (1959) assumes that both were replicas of the original portraits of Nicolaes Pancras and Petronella de Waert (current whereab
The painting belongs to the type of still life designated by Vroom as monochrome banketjes, pieces first executed by Heda towards the end of the 1620s that became very popular in the Netherlands and abroad, as illustrated by the fact that there were two in the inventory of Rubens´s property. There are sufficient grounds to interpret these compositions as moralising, religious or allegorical works.
Wearing a child´s dress of branched yellow fabric with silver adornments and the sash and cross of the Order of the Saint-Esprit, the future monarch rests his right hand on a small dog that stands atop a chair partially covered by a curtain. His gesture seeks to calm the animal, who is barking at a monkey on the other side of the prince. The small simian is attempting to grab his leash, whic
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
An outstanding work in Francesco Furini’s oeuvre and one of the most sensual and morbid of all Italian Baroque paintings, Lot and his daughters, c.1634, depicts the Old Testament story of Lot (Genesis 19:30-38), who escaped the destruction of Sodom thanks to a warning from the angels charged with its obliteration. Lot’s wife, who failed to obey their order not to look back, was turned into a pilla
This portrait presents the lady at full length, dressed in the fashion of the time in a tulle gown with lace details. Goya perfectly captures the translucence of the fabric, through which we see the shimmer of the pink skirt the sitter wears underneath. At her waist the lady wears a wide black tulle band, which is also semi-transparent, and on the waistband she has pinned a lovely cameo brooch. He
According to sources from antiquity and The Golden Legend (a 13th-century book that narrates the lives of saints), the apostle Philip preached the Gospel in Scythia and was crucified in the city of Hierapolis. His martyrdom has rarely been represented -the best known depiction is Filippino Lippi’s (1457-1504) fresco at the Strozzi Chapel in the Florentine church of Santa Maria Novella- but it usua
On August 29, 1626, King Philip IV’s painter, Vicente Carducho (ca. 1576-1638), signed a contract for the creation of a cycle of paintings to celebrate the founding of the Carthusian Order by Saint Bruno and its leading members. This colossal undertaking sought to visually narrate numerous episodes from the Carthusians’ history and tradition. It was the most complete commission ever dedicated to t
This emblematic picture is undoubtedly the best-known work on a social theme produced by Sorolla in his youth. It is also an especially good example of how fully the artist became involved in a genre which, at the time, was of particular relevance in Madrid’s official artistic circles, where Sorolla was determined to receive his first public recognition. The depth of its meaning is probably indica
Various vessels of different materials, shapes and uses rest on a wooden surface that could be a table or a shelf. From left to right they are: a pewter plate holding a complex and refined goblet, probably of gilded silver; a water jug from Triana of the short known as eggshell (made of porous earthenware that cools water though evaporation), a vase from the Indies (probably from the Viceroyalty o
The period between 1530 and 1533 was crucial for the formulation of the image of Charles V. The image that ultimately proved most influential was invented by Jacob Seisenegger who painted five full-length portraits of Charles V between 1530 and 1532, creating a totally innovative typology for the depiction of the Emperor but one that had numerous precedents in German art (Cranach, Strigel, Amberge
This complex and convincing composition painted from a frontal perspective appears to be divided into two well-connected halves. In the lower half, which is nearer the viewer, the artist has placed a wooden shelf or plank that is chipped in several places, in the manner of a table, on which several elements are skilfully arranged. On the left is a metal plate -silver or pewter on which six masterf
