Alonso Sánchez Coello, Benifairón ca. 1531 – Madrid 1588
Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia & Magdalena Ruiz (1585 - 1588)
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Alonso Sánchez Coello was court painter to Philip II and he united two different pictorial styles developed in the mid sixteenth century by Titian and Anthonis Mor respectively. Sánchez Coello´s images are austere in their presentation, yet they include certain symbolic elements that place the sitters in a suitable context easily legible to the viewer. The sitters´ dress and certain objects -swords, batons, gloves, handkerchiefs, missals, rosaries- serve to signal or reinforce specific aspects of the image.
One of the most frequent typologies was the full-length portrait: the figure placed in the foreground, close to the viewer, with a three-quarter view of a clearly illuminated face. Such is the case with this painting of the infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633), Philip´s elder daughter and one of the most important women in the dynasty. She wears a formal dress made of white silk, heavily embroidered with gold thread; the high collar with its delicate lace trim and the feathered headdress each correspond to Spanish fashion in the mid to late 1580s. A rich adornment of jewellery completes the breathtaking costume.
She is accompanied by Magdalena Ruiz, a faithful family servant since the days of Charles V and his queen consort, Isabella of Portugal. The presence of the servant accentuates the image of majesty that the princess emanates, not only by virtue of the juxtaposition of their figures but also because of the relationship established between them. Isabella Clara Eugenia contemplates the viewer with a fixed gaze while her left hand rests on Magdalena´s head. The servant kneels before her lady, at whom she stares with an intense gaze -or perhaps more accurately an absent-minded one, surely a reflection of the dementia she was suffering by that date. The representation of Magdalena alongside the infanta belongs to a long tradition of portraits in which servants, pages, jesters and dwarfs appear, coexisting in a perfectly ordinary manner with members of the royal family. The most complex and important painting within this tradition is Velázquez´s masterpiece Las meninas c.1656.
Another explicit reference to the tradition of the Habsburg court portrait is the infanta displaying to the viewer an image of her father, Philip II. This motif provides a focal point for the composition. It is an image of the cameo bust of Philip carved in alabaster by Pompeo Leoni held in the Prado.
Magdalena Ruiz partially echoes the gesture of her mistress, for she also reveals a painted portrait (possibly also representing the king) in a medallion hanging from a chain. She wears a coral necklace and holds two small monkeys in her hands, one brown and one cotton-top tamarin. Both species are from Portuguese territories in the Amazon that, at this point in history, belonged to Philip following the union of Spain and Portugal in 1580 (Portugal regained its independence in 1640). In 1581, Magdalena travelled in Philip´s retinue to Portugal, where he went to claim the Portuguese throne. It is possible that she received both the exotic animals and the necklace on that occasion and perhaps the medallion itself, a common gift in return for loyal service. One additional reference to Portugal may be observed in the infanta´s dress, for she wears white and gold, a characteristically Portuguese style in ceremonial costume.
Alonso Sánchez Coello died in 1588, the year this work is traditionally dated. The overall composition, the finely painted heads and the liveliness and precision of the two monkeys are likely the work of the painter himself, while the minute details on the clothing and the fragment of a canopy visible in the background may have been completed by members of his workshop.
Source: Prado
Tags: Alonso Sánchez Coello Museo del Prado Madrid Spanien Spain Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia Infantin Magdalena Ruiz
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Alonso Sánchez Coello, Benifairón ca. 1531 – Madrid 1588
Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia (1579)
Museo del Prado, Madrid
The Infanta, Felipe II´s daughter, is portrayed at the age of thirteen. She stands with a distant and elegant gesture, in three-quarters, which was in keeping with a type of portraiture widely used among court painters at that time. She wears a white and gold dress with lace collar and cuffs, a feather headdress and a great profusion of jewelry, precious stones and pearls. She holds a handkerchief in her left hand, as was customary in female portraits, and rests her right hand on the armchair, a symbol of her high position in the court.
This work shows Sánchez Coello´s dependence on the model of court portraiture created by Antonio Moro and also reveals his capacity to render the details of jewels and textiles.
Source: Prado
Tags: Alonso Sánchez Coello Museo del Prado Madrid Spanien Spain Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia Infantin
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Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Sevilla 1617/18 - 1682
Der gute Hirte - The Good Pastor (um 1665 - 72)
Städel, Frankfurt
Der Christusknabe als Guter Hirte – Murillo verband in diesem Werk zwei Themen, die der katholischen Religiosität in Spanien besonders entgegenkamen. Der als kindlicher Knabe geschilderte Christus appelliert an das Gemüt des Betrachters. Hirtenstab und Schafe verweisen auf den bei Johannes 10,11-16 beschriebenen Guten Hirten, der die Seinen ebenso erkennt wie den Vater, und der sein Leben für die Schafe lässt. Während der himmelnde Blick auf Guido Reni als Vorbild verweist, erinnert der Farbauftrag stark an die Malerei von Rubens und van Dyck.
Quelle: Städel
Tags: Frankfurt Städel Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Der Gute Hirte The Good Pastor Hessen Hesse Deutschland Germany Frankfurt am Main
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Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Sevilla 1618 - 1682
Murillo gilt neben Diego Velázquez als volkstümlichster Maler im Spaniens Goldener Zeit (Siglo de Oro). Er malte zahlreiche Madonnen- und Heiligenbilder und seine ebenfalls bedeutenden weltlichen Darstellungen mit Straßenszenen und bettelnden Kindern geben einen Eindruck vom Milieu seiner Heimatstadt Sevilla. Murillo wurde vom realistischen Stil des Jusepe de Ribera und Francisco Zurbarán beeinflusst, aber auch von niederländischen Stichen nach Gemälden von Caravaggio, Peter Paul Rubens und Raffael.
Tags: Genova Genua Genoa Liguria Ligurien Italien Italia Italy Palazzo Bianco Musei di Strada Nuova Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Die Flucht nach Ätypten The flight into Egypt La fuga in Egitto
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Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Sevilla 1617/18 - 1682
Die heilige Familie mit einem kleinen Vogel - The Holy Family with a Little Bird (ca. 1650)
Museo del Prado, Madrid
A domestic scene filled with tenderness showing the Virgin Mary winding a skein of thread and watching the Christ Child, who leans on Saint Joseph while he plays with a little bird and a dog. The almost leading role of the saint corresponds to the increased worship of his figure during the Counterreformation. The apparently insignificant composition of this painting exalts home life, the family and work. The latter is symbolized by Saint Joseph´s carpenter´s bench and the Virgin´s sewing basket.
The strong chiaroscuro lighting of this composition reflects the influence of Italian painters, especially Barocci (Urbino, 1535 - 1612). This work is listed in various private collections before it became a part of Queen Isabel de Farnesio´s collection in 1746. It was taken to Paris by José I, were it was part of the Napoleonic Museum between 1810 and 1817. It entered the Prado Museum in 1819.
Source: Museo del Prado
Tags: Museo del Prado Madrid Spanien Spain Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Die heilige Familie mit einem kleinen Vogel The Holy Family with a Little Bird
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