Barroco español - History Lab https://historylab.es Fri, 20 May 2022 07:42:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://historylab.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-icono-historylab-32x32.jpg Barroco español - History Lab https://historylab.es 32 32 San Juan https://historylab.es/san-juan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=san-juan Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:19 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/san-juan/ Processional court image sculpted by Francisco Salzillo in 1755. Church of Jesús, Salzillo Museum (Murcia)

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]]> It is considered one of the most important sculptures of the entire Spanish Baroque period and the best exponent of the idea of movement among all of Salzillo’s images. It is a full-length sculpture, depicted in a walking pose. Its superb polychromy, with stems and flowers made in gold using the estofado technique, is one of the most outstanding examples of Spanish imagery of the time. The importance given to polychrome processes had reached its peak some time before, in the reign of the Habsburgs. The transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque meant the separation of painters and polychromists, as the former entered into the intellectual currents of the time and moved away from the established rules. Historical and social changes brought about transformations that affected both the motifs represented and the techniques of execution. Salzillo’s sculptural production was, therefore, the definitive end to one of the most prolific artistic periods in Spanish art.

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]]> The three musicians https://historylab.es/the-three-musicians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-three-musicians Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/los-tres-musicos/ Musical genre scene in the playful interiors of 17th century Spain by Velázquez

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]]> The work, executed by Diego de Velázquez during his early period, belongs to a genre of genre painting that Pacheco nevertheless described as “ridiculous figures with various ugly subjects to provoke laughter”. The men with musical instruments sing while the third, the youngest, who carries the vihuela under his arm with a glass of wine, calls attention to himself with a mocking smile, implying that the spirituous concoction is what inspires the musicians. The monkey, on his back, was a typical animal companion at the time. The setting for the musicians’ performance would indicate the presence of a table with a loaf of bread on a napkin, wine, cheese and a knife before them, which Velázquez uses to study the different textures with an intense, projected light that evokes the classical concepts of chiaroscuro. Special attention should be paid to the fact that paintings of this type were executed during the painter’s first period in his native city, which would tell us about the way Sevillian society functioned at the beginning of the 17th century.

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]]> Old woman frying eggs https://historylab.es/old-woman-frying-eggs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=old-woman-frying-eggs Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/vieja-friendo-huevos/ Costumbrista scenes in the kitchens of 17th-century Spain, painted by Velázquez

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]]> Velázquez’s composition is set in the interior of a shallow kitchen with a strong contrast of light and shade. An old woman in a white dress cooks a pair of eggs floating in oil in an earthenware dish on a cooker (some authors have described them as poached, although they are clearly being fried). With a wooden spoon in his right hand and about to crack the egg, the moment of maximum tension in the action is captured, together with the arrival of the young man, thus proving to be a particularly baroque scene. The artistic study of the objects has been carried out in detail due to the interest of the optical effects sought by the Sevillian artist. Special attention should be paid to the fact that this type of painting was executed during the painter’s first period in his native city, which would tell us about the way Sevillian society functioned at the beginning of the 17th century.

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]]> The mulatto https://historylab.es/the-mulatto/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-mulatto Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/la-mulata/ Velázquez's depiction of domestic service in 17th-century Spain

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]]> The scene takes place inside a Sevillian house in the early decades of the 17th century and depicts a mulatto maid with various kitchen utensils that reflect the way in which domestic spaces were set up. It should be remembered that at that time only wealthy families were allowed to have a maid. In the portrait, the maid is depicted wearing a loose-fitting dress that bears little relation to the fashions of the day, as well as a coarse, coarse fabric that reveals a lower social status than that of her masters. Various utensils such as jugs, bowls and a mortar and pestle for pounding garlic are arranged on the table, a fact that underlines the type of basic foodstuffs used in 17th-century Sevillian households.

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]]> View of the Royal Alcazar of Madrid and surroundings of the Segovia Bridge https://historylab.es/view-of-the-royal-alcazar-of-madrid-and-surroundings-of-the-segovia-bridge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=view-of-the-royal-alcazar-of-madrid-and-surroundings-of-the-segovia-bridge Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/vista-del-alcazar-real-de-madrid-y-entorno-del-puente-de-segovia/ Views of the Alcázar in 17th century Madrid before the fatal accident on Christmas Eve 1734

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]]> The painting recreates a view of Madrid, with the Segovia Bridge at the centre of the painting, flanking the Manzanares River. The Alcazar of Madrid appears in the distance. The background of the action, in the background, has been drawn with rapid, smooth lines showing the aqueduct and the remains of the old Moorish wall (which still stands today). The perspective provides a broad view of the Hispanic capital, which as a whole demonstrates the altitude at which the palace is strategically located, as one of the highest points in the city. The image serves as a resource for understanding what Madrid was like in the 17th century, and for reflecting on the changes and continuities linked to space and its transformation.

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]]> The Royal Cloth https://historylab.es/the-royal-cloth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-royal-cloth Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/la-tela-real/ A recreational hunting scene at the Court, immortalised by Velázquez's brush

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]]> Philip IV and his courtly circle are hunting a wild boar in a forest clearing in one of the most common courtly practices. The monarch is depicted on horseback in the centre of the composition carrying a spear intended for hunting while accompanied by the Count Duke of Olivares and probably his two brothers. Wild boar hunting was an expensive as well as traditional practice that marked special occasions when the king hunted the animal within the boundaries of a canvas. This painting by Velázquez was intended for the Torre de la Parada. This image is an excellent resource for an insight into the leisure and festive celebrations of the Court in the Modern Age.

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]]> Main facade of Murcia Cathedral https://historylab.es/main-facade-of-murcia-cathedral/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=main-facade-of-murcia-cathedral Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/fachada-principal-de-la-catedral-de-murcia/ Imafronte of the Cathedral of Murcia, built between 1737 and 1751 under the guidelines of Jaime Bort

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]]> The façade of Murcia Cathedral, an exceptional work of universal Baroque, was built between 1736 and 1751 under the direction of the architect and sculptor Jaime Bort. It was conceived as a stone altarpiece with two sections and three streets in which to exalt the magnificence of the Virgin Mary and the antiquity and glories of the Diocese of Cartagena, through saints and symbols linked to the Kingdom of Murcia. The façade synthesises the guidelines that emanated from the Council of Trent to combat the Lutheran Reformation. Thus began an attitude whereby images became a means of “indoctrination” in the original sense of the word, i.e. a set of actions that served to popularise a religious doctrine. When Trent stipulated that one of the guidelines for the religious apostolate was the veneration of religious images, especially of the Virgin and the saints, as well as relics, the foundations of Baroque art were also laid, the aim of which was to attract the common man to the Catholic faith. The façade of Murcia Cathedral is a magnificent expression of this aim.

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]]> The Prayer in the Orchard https://historylab.es/the-prayer-in-the-orchard/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-prayer-in-the-orchard Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/la-oracion-en-el-huerto/ Processional float executed in 1754 by Francisco Salzillo. Church of Jesús, Salzillo Museum (Murcia)

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]]> This is one of the most highly valued processional floats by the Murcian sculptor, due to its outstanding quality and the novelty of its composition. It is made up of five images, namely St. John, St. James the Greater and St. Peter together with the two main figures, Christ and the Angel. It represents the moment when Jesus and three of his disciples withdrew to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, at which point an angel appeared from Heaven. The apostles embody the three ages of man and the different phases of sleep. St. John, the youngest, sleeps soundly, St. James the Elder, who is more mature, is in a peaceful sleep, while St. Peter, the oldest, seems to be awake, as he holds his sword tightly, revealing the perfect anatomy of his arm. Christ’s gaze is directed towards the chalice, which in the procession is placed on a date palm. This liturgical object symbolises the sacrifice that has begun to be consummated. The Angel, of idealised beauty, points to the chalice, urging Christ not to lose heart. This float is carried in procession along with eight others on Good Friday mornings in the city of Murcia, all of which belong to the Brotherhood of Jesus. The origins of the procession date back to 1600, when the first constitutions were approved, although the first procession would not take place until 1601.

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