This work and its companion (P4158) belonged to Jean de Croy, Count of Solre and captain of the Flemish Royal Guard of Archers, of which Van der Hamen was a member. Unframed, the two paintings hung in De Croy’s Madrid palace, where they flanked the entrance to the painting gallery. As such, they may have served as a trompe l’oeil expansion of the real space, whose floor they probably reproduce. The playful puppy (P4158) and dog (P6413) may very well be portraits of the Count’s pets. The subject

This magnificent painting once belonged to Diego Mexía Felípez de Guzmán, Marquis of Leganés, in whose collection it was inventoried in 1655. This collection of nearly 1300 paintings comprised works by some of the most important European painters of the time, including a great number of Flemish still lifes and genre paintings. Van der Hamen was represented by nine still lifes, probably acquired after the artist´s death, whose great quality testifies to the disce

Juan van der Hamen y León´s output alternates between compositionally complex still lifes and works that are smaller in size and constructed more simply, such as this canvas. It depicts a pewter, possibly silver, plate holding a small pile of plums (or sloes), and cherries. As is habitual in this type of work, the plate is placed in the close foreground, sitting on the edge of a stone ledge or windowsill. Both the plate and the small pieces of fruit are illuminated by a strong external li

Although as a genre, bodegones, or still life paintings, were considered inferior to religious scenes, history painting and portraiture, they were very popular in Early Modern Spain. Following earlier models, van der Hamen developed a distinctively Spanish type of bodegón characterized by its austerity and the presence of a few everyday foodstuffs arranged with strict geometrical symmetry. This type of composition was subsequently imitated by many other painters, as van der Hamen was the

A sumptuously dressed and armed dwarf holds a ruler´s staff, an attribute of power that cannot have corresponded to his status. He was probably one of the court buffoons, who were showered with presents and dressed in ostentatious luxury. Since the sixteenth century, portraits of these figures were quite customary, although it was Velázquez who explored this genre with singular mastery. The date generally attributed to this extraordinary portrait indicates that the model might be Bartolil

A lady seated in a garden is handed a basket of roses by a boy. The profusion of flowers around her and the crown on her head, as well as her location in a courtly garden with a statue in the background, identify the painting as an allegory of the goddess, Flora. This work is related to a series of similar compositions made by van der Hamen during the sixteen twenties. Some of these are allegories of the different seasons or narrations of mythological scenes, making him more that a mere still-li

Juan van der Hamen y León attained notable fame as a painter of still lifes in the court in Madrid. His early death in 1631 explains the concentration of his works from the 1620s, a brief period that nevertheless offers an interesting evolution in the typologies of his paintings, suggesting that he was open to incorporating aspects of other artists´ work. Still life with fruits and vegetables presents a composition derived from the model created by Juan Sánchez Cotán around

This work and its companion (P6413) belonged to Jean de Croy, Count of Solre and captain of the Flemish Royal Guard of Archers, of which Van der Hamen was a member. Unframed, the two paintings hung in De Croy’s Madrid palace, where they flanked the entrance to the painting gallery. As such, they may have served as a trompe l’oeil expansion of the real space, whose floor they probably reproduce. The playful puppy (P4158) and dog (P6413) may very well be portraits of the Count’s pets. The subject

A narrow board bears a small selection of objects and victuals worthy of a snack. Their volumes and qualities are defined by the light, making the various elements stand out on a very dark background. The perceptible influence of Sánchez Cotán and the knowledge of Italian tenebrist painting made this the most unanimously admired still life by Van der Hamen. The view of these sweets became a perfect trompe-l’oeil and an elegant invitation to taste candied fruit, wafers and aloja, a