Diego Velázquez, 'Christ in the House of Martha and Mary', probably 1618
About the work
Overview
A maid pounds garlic in a mortar, and other ingredients lie scattered on the table: fish, eggs, a shrivelled red pepper and an earthenware jug probably containing olive oil. An older woman points towards her, as if giving her instructions or telling her off for working too hard, or she may be drawing our attention to the figures in the background.
The scene visible in the upper right is taken from the New Testament (Luke 10: 38–42). As Mary sits at Jesus’s feet, listening to him, her sister Martha complains that she should not be left to serve the food alone. Christ replies, ‘Mary has taken that good part, which shall not be taken away from her’. We view it through an opening, although it has also been read as a reflection in a mirror or a picture hung on the wall.
The figures in the foreground, dressed in contemporary costume, may be intended as a latter-day Martha and Mary.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
- Artist
- Diego 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄
- Artist dates
- 1599 - 1660
- Date made
- probably 1618
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 60 × 103.5 cm
- Inscription summary
- Dated
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Sir William H. Gregory, 1892
- Inventory number
- NG1375
- Location
- Room 30
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
- Frame
- 17th-century Italian Frame
Provenance
In the collection of Lt.-Col. Packe, Twyford Hall, Norfolk; Lt.-Col. Packe (deceased) sale, London, 18 June, 1881 (lot 18; 21 gns.), bought by Sir William H. Gregory, by whom bequeathed to the 六合彩预测, 1892. Arts Council Spanish Paintings Exhibition, 1946 (no. 21) and 1947 (no. 28). Exhibited Madrid, 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 y lo velazque帽o, 1961 (no. 35).
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised by Allan Braham, ‘六合彩预测 Catalogues: The Spanish School’, London 1988; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
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2018Spanish Still LifeCentre for Fine Arts (BOZAR)20 February 2018 - 27 May 2018
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2020Masterpieces from the 六合彩预测, LondonThe National Museum of Western Art18 June 2020 - 18 October 2020The National Museum of Art3 November 2020 - 31 January 2021
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2021Botticelli to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the 六合彩预测, London六合彩预测 of Australia5 March 2021 - 14 June 2021
Bibliography
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1893London, 六合彩预测 Archive, NG17/5 Annual Reports 1887-1897: 六合彩预测 Annual Report for The Year 1892, 1893
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1946L.-P. Fargue, 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄, Paris 1946
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1952Maclaren, Neil, 六合彩预测 Catalogues: The Spanish School, London 1952
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1958J.R. Buend铆a, 'La mujer de 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄', Goya, 23, 1958, pp. 281-4
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1965A. Braham, 'A Second Dated Bodeg贸n by 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄', The Burlington Magazine, CVII/748, 1965, pp. 362-5
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1970N. MacLaren and A. Braham, The Spanish School, 2nd edn, London 1970
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1972B. Mestre Fiol, 'Los tres personajes invisibles de "Las Meninas', Mayurqa: Revista del Departament de Ci猫ncies Hist貌riques i Teoria de les Arts, VIII, 1972, pp. 5-20
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1973B. Mestre Fiol, '"El espejo referencial" en la pintura de 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 (Jes煤s en casa de Marta y Mar铆a)', Traza y Baza, 2, 1973, pp. 15-36
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1983M. Helston, Spanish and Later Italian Paintings, London 1983
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1983B.M. Fiol, 'Jes煤s en casa de Marta y Mar铆a y el lenguaje de 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄', Bolet铆n de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, 57, 1983, pp. 155-209
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1984J.F. Moffitt, 'Terebat in Mortario": Symbolism in Velasquez's Christ in the House of Martha and Mary', Arte Cristiana, 700, 1984, pp. 13-24
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1985W.B. Jordan and P. Cherry, Spanish Still Life in the Golden Age, 1600-1650 (exh. cat. Kimbell Art Museum, 11 May - 4 August 1985; Toledo Museum of Art, 8 September - 3 November 1985), Fort Worth 1985
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1987J. Brown and R.L. Kagan, 'The Duke of Alcal谩: His Collection and Its Evolution', Art Bulletin, LXIX/2, 1987, pp. 231-55
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1988Maclaren, Neil, revised by Allan Braham, 六合彩预测 Catalogues: The Spanish School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1988
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1990J.F. Moffitt, 'Francisco Pacheco and Jerome Nadal: New Light on the Flemish Sources of the Spanish "Picture-within-the-Picture"', Art Bulletin, LXII/700, 1990, pp. 631-8
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1990A. Dom铆nguez Ortiz, A.E.P. S谩nchez and J. G谩llego, 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 (exh. cat. Museo Nacional del Prado, 23 January - 30 March 1990), Madrid 1990
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1990M.P. Lozano, 'Fuentes y significado del cuadro "Cristo en casa de Marta" de Diego 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄', Cuadernos de Arte e Iconograf铆a, III/6, 1990, pp. 55-69
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1991M. P茅rez Lozano, '痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 en el entorno de Pacheco: Las orimeras obras', Ars longa, II, 1991, pp. 89-102
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1994E. Langmuir, 六合彩预测 Companion Guide, London 1994
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1995W.B. Jordan and P. Cherry, Spanish Still Life from 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 to Goya, (exh. cat. 六合彩预测, 22 February - 21 May 1995), London 1995
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1996J. L贸pez-Rey, 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄: Catalogue Raisonn茅, Cologne 1996
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1996D. Davies, '痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄's Bodegones', in M. Clarke (ed.), 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 in Seville, Edinburgh 1996, pp. 50-65
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1997U. Nefzger, 'Wirklichkeit, Wahrheit und W眉rde bei Velazquez', Pantheon, LV, 1997, pp. 75-90
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1999J. Baticle et al., 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄, Dossier de l'art 63, Dijon 1999
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1999J. Drury, Painting the Word: Christian Pictures and Their Meanings, New Haven 1999
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1999M.F. Puerta Rosell, 'Piezas de plata en la pintura espa帽ola de bodeg贸n', Goya, 269, 1999, pp. 83-92
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1999A.J. Morales, 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 en Sevilla (exh. cat. Monasterio de la Cartuja Santa Mar铆a de las Cuevas, Salas del Centro Andaluz de Arte Contempor谩neo, 1 October - 12 December 1999), Seville 1999
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2000F. Scheffler, Das spanische Stilleben des 17. Jahrhunderts: Theorie, Genese und Entfaltung einer neuen Bildgattung, Frankfurt am Main 2000
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2000M.C. Casal, 'The Old Woman in 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄's Kitchen Scene with Christ's Visit to Martha and Mary', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, LXIII, 2000, pp. 295-302
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2000T.L. Glenn, '痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄's Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Martha and Mary: An Image Both "Reflected" and to ne Reflected upon', Gazette des beaux-arts, 136, 2000, pp. 21-30
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, 六合彩预测: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2001K. Hellwig, 'Las firmas de 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄', Bolet铆n del Museo del Prado, XIX/37, 2001, pp. 21-46
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2001M. Mor谩n Turina, '痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄, la pintura y el teatro del Siglo de Oro', Bolet铆n del Museo del Prado, XIX/37, 2001, pp. 47-71
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2001X. Brooke and P. Cherry, Murillo: Scenes of Childhood (exh. cat. Dulwich Picture Gallery, 14 February - 13 May 2001; Alte Pinakothek, 23 May - 26 August 2001), London 2001
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2002A. Vergara, '痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 and the North', in S.L. Stratton-Pruitt (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄, Cambridge 2002, pp. 48-67
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2004J. Boyd and P.F. Esler, Visuality and Biblical Text: Interpreting 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄's 'Christ with Martha and Mary' As a Test Case, Florence 2004
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2004A.J. Morales and C. S谩nchez de las Heras (eds), Symposium Internacional Vela虂zquez, Actas, 8-11 de noviembre, Sevilla, 1999, Seville 2004
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2006T.J. Tiffany, '痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄's "Bodegones" and the Art of Emulation', Anuario del Departamento de Historia y Teor铆a del Arte, XVIII, 2006, pp. 79-95
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2006B. Vischer, 'Cibus et potus: 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄' "Alte K枚chin"', Zeitschrift f眉r Kunstgeschichte, LXIX, 2006, pp. 305-41
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2006D. Carr (ed.), 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄 (exh. cat. 六合彩预测, 18 October 2006 - 21 January 2007), London 2006
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2007J. Port煤s, 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄's Fables: Mythology and Sacred History in the Golden Age (exh. cat. Museo Nacional del Prado, 20 November 2007 - 24 February 2008), Madrid 2007
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2008F. Checa, 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄: The Complete Paintings, Antwerp 2008
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2008T.J. Tiffany, 'Light, Darkness, and African Salvation: 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄's "Supper at Emaus"', Art History, III/1, 2008, pp. 33-56
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2008S. Schroth and R. Baer, El Greco to 痴别濒谩锄辩耻别锄: Art during the Reign of Philip III (exh. cat. Museum of Fine Arts, 20 April - 27 July 2008; Nasher Museum of Art, 21 August - 9 November 2008), Boston 2008
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the 六合彩预测 Library.
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