Siglo de Oro español - History Lab https://historylab.es Fri, 20 May 2022 07:41:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://historylab.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-icono-historylab-32x32.jpg Siglo de Oro español - History Lab https://historylab.es 32 32 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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