This scene is from the predella of an altarpiece dedicated to Saint Anthony Abbot, the founder of the eremitic movement. Its technical and formal characteristics suggest a dating close to that of The Virgin with the Pomegranate. Like that work, it was acquired in Florence in 1817 by Carlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 14th Duke of Alba de Tormes.
This panel is from the altarpiece of Saint Andrew, which Joan Bastida commissioned for that saint’s chapel in Barcelona Cathedral. By locating the gilded idol on a complex structure in the centre, the artist could arrange the two groups in the composition on either side of it: on the left is the enthroned proconsul with two other male figures and on the right is the captured Saint Andrew with the
Two Eastern merchants go over their accounts, leaning over a table illuminated by light flooding through a window on the left of the composition. Under their plank table are two full sacks. Two women read a book in the background and in the foreground is a bird, the traditional symbol of trust and loyalty in commercial relations. This work was commissioned by Manuel Godoy (1767-1851), prince of Pe
This must have been the central panel of an altarpiece dedicated to Saint Anthony Abbot. He is shown with his attribute of a pig. The flames at his feet allude to the illness known as "Saint Anthony´s fire". Reixach is a key figure in hipano-flemish painting in Valencia in the middle decades of the fifteenth century. He ran a large workshop.
Christ returned to life, triumphant alongside the sarcophagus that held his body for three days after his death on Golgotha, was a frequent subject in Correa´s work. The retable for the convent of the Poor Clares in Griñon (Madrid), dated around 1532-1534, shaped its essential compositional structure, with Christ at the center over a stone staircase bearing the sarcophagus and flanked by so
The Virgin with the Pomegranate is an exceptional work painted during one of the key periods in the history of art, in Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, in the first quarter of the fifteenth century, by one of its principal protagonists. Guido di Pietro, known as Fra Angelico and probably trained with Lorenzo Monaco, is first documented as an independent master in 1418. Between that date and 14
The panel’s small size, making it particularly suitable for private devotion, reflects the growth of the cult of the Virgin. A typical feature of Tuscan art of this date is the use of inscriptions such as the one held here by the Christ Child: “VENITE AD ME OMNES” (Come to me all of you). Such inscriptions allowed the literate viewer to read the message of the image as well as see it, offering a d
This altarpiece consists of nine large panels plus the eighteen that make up the predella. The main scene is The Virgin with the Christ Child surrounded by Angel Musicians, which is completed with five scenes from the lives of Christ and the Virgin in the right and central areas, and three scenes from the life of Saint Francis, in the left area. All of them are framed with gothic ogee tracery. Sty
This altarpiece, either from an unidentified location in Zaragoza or from the Calatayud area, has a principal part and a predella. The principal part comprises three sections on two levels and four intermediary sections with saints and prophets. The central section depicts the Virgin and Child and the Crucifixion. From left to right and top to bottom in the side sections are: the Annunciation, the
This altar frontal is divided into two levels separated by arches enclosing the Adoration of the Magi, above, and the Presentation in the Temple, below. Both the structure and composition are unusual for this period. Each figure is identified with an inscription. The frontal comes from the church of Nuestra Señora de Peñalba in Arnedillo (La Rioja).
An altar with bible stories from the life of Mary Magdalene. The upper part shows a dinner at Simon´s house, when Mary Magdalene washed Christ´s feet with perfume and rinsed it with her own tears and hair (Luke 7, 36-50). The scene on the left shows the Holy Women´s visit to Christ´s Tomb, which they find empty. There, an angel announces the Resurrection to them (Mark 16, 1-8; Matthew 28, 1-7; Luk
This is a set of two scenes (P02842, P02841) referring to one of the first known stories of Saint Eloy, a French saint from the late sixth and early seventh century and a great goldsmith who served kings Clotaire II and Dagobert and became Bishop of Rouen. In the second panel, Saint Eloy in his Goldsmith´s workshop (P02841), the saint chisels the piece along with other officials and apprentices fr
From the time of the Museum’s founding this small room was part of the private area known as Their Majesties’ Rest Room (now Room 39). Similar to those existing in other Bourbon palaces, it housed the King’s lavatory. Despite its late date, 1834, the walls and ceiling of this room were decorated in the Neoclassical style by Francisco Martínez.
An altarpiece with Bible stories of the life of Saint John the Baptist. At the top, Salome dances for Herod, king of Galilee, in order to ask for Saint John´s head as recompense (Mark 6, 21-28). That martyrdom occupies the scene just below. The last scene depicts the moment when Saint John is buried by his disciples (Mark 6, 29). It also shows a posthumous miracle. The three figures on the predell
This is a set of two scenes (P02842, P02841) referring to one of the first known stories of Saint Eloy, a French saint from the late sixth and early seventh century and a great goldsmith who served kings Clotaire II and Dagobert and became Bishop of Rouen. In Saint Eloy before King Clotaire (P02842), the Merovingian king, Clotaire, who knows the saint´s fame and skills as a metal worker, commissio
This allegory accompanied others of Science (now lost), Commerce and Industry which decorated the staircase of Manuel Godoy´s palace. Ceres, goddess of Agriculture, is crowned with ears of corn. She is accompanied by a countryman, possibly her assistant Messor who was in charge of the harvest. Ceres made all vegetation grow: the hoes at her feet refer to the start of the crop cycle while the zodia
Two young women spin at their wheels in the workshop of a tapestry factory, recalling Velasquez´s Tapestry Weavers (P01173). Goya interprets the scene as an allegory of Industry, in which young women work with enthusiasm and energy. The shadowy old women in the background may be the Fates of Classical Mythology, who weave and cut the threads of life. This work was commissioned by Manuel Godo
This is a large gothic altarpiece. Its central panel depicts the Virgin with Child, and behind them, four angels hold the brocade backdrop while four others play musical instruments. Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard, both of the Bendictine order, stand protecting Archbishop Sancho de Rojas —on whom the Virgin is placing the miter— and King Fernando I of Aragon, who is being crowned by the Christ c