Spanish, 'Landscape with Figures', 17th century
About the work
Overview
This sketchily painted landscape is dotted with groups of figures in seventeenth-century Spanish dress. We are not certain where the scene is set, although it may be the forest of the Palace of El Pardo, north-west of Madrid. This palace had vast hunting grounds, which are probably those represented in Velázquez’s Philip IV hunting Wild Boar (La Tela Real), also in the Gallery’s collection. The five figures and a mule in the foreground were copied from this picture. There are two further groups of people in the middle distance and two men on horseback, one partly hidden among the trees. It is not obvious what connects these figures but their ornate costumes indicate their noble status.
This painting was thought to be by Velázquez when it was acquired by the Gallery in the 1860s for a modest sum similar to that paid for Velázquez’s early masterpiece Christ in the House of Martha and Mary.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Landscape with Figures
- Artist
- Spanish
- Date made
- 17th century
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 91.2 × 126 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Sir William H. Gregory, 1892
- Inventory number
- NG1376
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised by Allan Braham, ‘ÁùºÏ²ÊÔ¤²â Catalogues: The Spanish School’, London 1988; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1864Christie, Manson & Woods, The Illustrated Catalogue of the Valuable Collection of Pictures, and Other Works of Art… of that Eminent Connoisseur, John Watkins Brett, London, 5 April 1864 - 18 April 1864
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1880Royal Academy of Arts, Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters, and by Deceased Masters of the British School (exh. cat. Royal Academy of Arts, 1880), London 1880
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1906J.C. Robinson, 'The Bodegones and Early Works by Velázquez', The Burlington Magazine, X/45, 1906, pp. 172-83
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1925J. Allende-Salazar, Velazquez: Der Meisters Gemalde in 275 Abbildungen, Berlin 1925
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1936A. Mayer, Velazquez, London 1936
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1952Maclaren, Neil, ÁùºÏ²ÊÔ¤²â Catalogues: The Spanish School, London 1952
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1988Maclaren, Neil, revised by Allan Braham, ÁùºÏ²ÊÔ¤²â Catalogues: The Spanish School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1988
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, ÁùºÏ²ÊÔ¤²â: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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 ÁùºÏ²ÊÔ¤²â Library.
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