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A passage from the New Testament (Luke I, 26-38) that tells of the annunciation of the Virgin´s motherhood by the Archangel Gabriel and the incarnation of Christ in Mary by the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove. The burning bush, which appeared to A passage from the New Testament (Luke I, 26-38) that tells of the annunciation of the Virgin´s motherhood by the Archangel Gabriel and the incarnation o
In this half-length portrait, the young man wears a red cap and holds a musical instrument that combine features of both the vihuela and the violin. While only partially visible, its fretted neck suggests it belongs to the family of the bowed vihuela or viola da gamba, but its bow and part of the pegbox are closer in appearance to those of the violin family, suggesting it is a hybrid of both. Thes
A wedding procession moves towards the church in a rural setting. The male members of both families lead the procession, headed by the groom. The flower in his hand is clearly a symbol of matrimony. The bride remains among the women. Both wear black clothing and a broad ruff collar, in keeping with early seventeenth-century style. The artist draws on the work of his father, Pieter Brueghel “the El
The pendant of Country Wedding (P01441) shows the banquet that follows the wedding procession. The bride sits under a straw canopy at the center of the scene, which Brueghel sets under four leafy trees, revealing the great importance he gave to landscapes. The presence of the Archduke Alberto de Austria and the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia, then governors of the Low Countries, makes this work an i
A more than half-length image of the Virgin over a gold background. She holds the Christ Child while two angels crown her as Queen of Heaven. The thistles the Christ Child plays with are a clear allusion to the crown of thorns and the Passion of Christ. The Virgin´s thoughtful mien, gazing at her son with a presentiment of his destiny, gives the painting a melancholy air. The gold background was u
The dinner guests occupying the center of the composition symbolize the senses. Music and the singing children are hearing, and the young woman petting a mink is touch. The young woman preparing to eat some oysters symbolizes taste, while the monkey pulling on a cupid´s hair also symbolizes touch. Of equal significance are the animals and paintings in the room. The Annunciation on the top of the c
This panel depicts a bouquet of tulips, roses and irises in a small porcelain vase. On the table is an insect, a sprig of leaves and more flowers. The blue and white porcelain vase is from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, China, and was made for export.
This painting is made in three planes. At the top, Christ on the throne between the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist with the Lamb at his feet, from which a spring flows. In the middle plane are a heavenly choir with its musicians. On the left side of the bottom plane are kings, noblemen, popes and theologians, while the right side shows various confused, fleeing Jews, one of whom is blindfold
This set of paintings on the five senses (Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch) was one of the most successful collaborations of Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel “the elder.” Rubens placed his figures in the magnificent courtly scenes created by Brueghel as settings for these allegories of the senses, resulting in a series of enormous quality and esthetic appeal. The subject was widely employed i
The inclusion of insects in floral still lifes gave them a powerful sense of reality and lifelikeness. Here Brueghel also included a frog and an object that may be an egg or possibly a bezoar, a concretion found in the intestines of certain animals which was believed to have curative powers.
The Virgin appears seated in a walled garden, an allusion to the hortus conclusus or enclosed garden, which symbolizes her perpetual virginity. In her arms she holds the Christ Child, who takes an apple from an angel´s hand, a clear allusion to the redemption of the original sin. On the other side, a second angel plays a viola of arc. The composition derives from a model by Rogier van der Weyden a
Flower painting experienced its greatest development in the Netherlands -there were both Flemish and Dutch schools- and in the different regions of Italy. Both Northern and Mediterranean artists produced works that became known throughout Europe -especially in Spain, where they had a decisive influence on local artists. The present painting and its pendant (P2507) magnificently exemplify the depen
The sitter is seated in a landscape to which the artist has given a very prominent role. The artist, son of the painter Juan Antonio Ribera, along with his friend and rival, Federico de Madrazo, were leading figures of the Romantic movement in Spain, as evidenced by this work of precise drawing and brilliant colours.
A group of scholars discuss various questions in a room. Some are sitting around tables while others contemplate some of the many paintings and art objects scattered around the room. Depictions of dilettantes or aficionados in collectors´ galleries or rooms ornamented with art objects constituted a customary genre among seventeenth-century Flemish painters, glorifying the practice of collecting as
There is a print by Pietro Monaco (1707-1772), published by Guglielmo Zerletti in Venice in 1763, which reproduces a painting of the Marriage at Cana then attributed to Jacopo and owned by the lawyer Giulio Crivellari. In Spain, a composition with the same title though smaller (112 x 84 cm approximately) was listed in the 1711 inventory of the 9th Duke of Medinaceli. The original painting, probabl
Legend has it that Saint Hubert encountered a magnificent buck while hunting. When he tried to kill the animal, he saw a cross appear between the animal´s antlers. That is when he took the Christian faith. This story is identical to that of the conversion of Saint Eustace, with whom this painting has been related at times. Saint Hubert lived in Liege, in the Low Countries, and his conversion was m
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
