19th C, Romanticism, Genre Painting, Sheepstable

1849

Around the middle of the 19th century, the missionary Thomas Savage and the anatomist Jeffries Wyman described a new animal species – the Troglodytes Gorilla – in their Boston Societ...

Around the middle of the 19th century, the missionary Thomas Savage and the anatomist Jeffries Wyman, described a new animal species – the Troglodytes Gorilla – in their article for ...

Around the middle of the 19th century, the missionary Thomas Savage and the anatomist Jeffries Wyman, described a new animal species – the Troglodytes Gorilla – in their article for ...

Hunting played an essential role in the lives of princes and nobles for centuries. It was no different in the 17th century. Paintings depicting hunting scenes were hung, for example, in the hunting lodges of elites. It should be noted that the upper bourgeoisie also began to show interest in painted hunting scenes during the 17th century. In the Southern Netherlands there were a number of skilled animal painters who produced hunting scenes, including Frans Snijders, Paul De Vos, Jan Roos, Pieter Boel and Jan Fyt. Snijders knew how to render the anatomy of the animals masterfully. Also, he managed to make his animals look intelligent. He let them express a variety of feelings. His colleague, Paul De Vos, seems to have been less familiar with animal anatomy. His animals lack a kind of individuality and psychological expression. The panel shows a boar hunt with dogs. It was a prevalent theme, portrayed by Rubens, Snijders, De Vos and others. Buyers were especially interested in the showdown between animal species. The mental and physical strength appealed to their imagination. The painter of this little work has no solid knowledge of dog breeds. Due to a lack of insight into dogs' bone and muscle structure, he makes them look rather stiff. Mainly the heads have something naïve about them. It cannot be ruled out that the artist of this painting is Jan van Kessel...

Attentive observer, may I challenge you to find some unusual elements in this panel painting? One detail has to do with the symbolic use of color, the other with a later adjustment of the image. Indeed! The Blessed Virgin is not dressed in her usual sky blue cloak, which refers to her purity, but in a red robe. During the Late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, the Virgin often wore such a red garment to refer to the Passion of Christ. After all, the blessing Christ child with his orb would shed his blood for the redemption of mankind. The second strange element catches the eye when one looks closer at the little Jesus. It appears that he was originally depicted completely naked, but got on a transparent loincloth over time. In the past there were several times when nudity in art was subject to some form of censorship. For example, the supervision of Christian art was strongly encouraged by the Council of Trent (1545-1563). This assembly was dealing with the inner-ecclesiastical reform of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the important theologians who followed the council’s guidelines was Joannes Molanus (1533-1585). He did not consider the nakedness of the Christ Child to be edifying and pointed out that children could be endangered in this way. He may have been referring to the dangers of paedophilia. During the 19th century, puritanism emerged. A famous example of a moral preacher was Pope Pius IX...

The portrait represents a man, estimated to be 60 years of age, standing turned to the viewer's right, looking at the viewer with a commanding expression. He has a moustache and beard and wears a high fur cap. He wears a brown mantle over a whitish shirt and, over it, a heavy gold chain...

MANUEL RODRÍGUEZ DE GUZMÁN Spanish, 1818 - 1867 LA FAENA DEL PICADOR signed "M. Rodriguez" (lower left) oil on canvas 23 x 34-1/4 inches (58.5 x 87 cm.) framed: 31-5/8 x 43-1/8 inches (81 x 109.5 cm.) PROVENANCE Private Collector, Seville Manuel Rodríguez de Guzmán (Seville, June 20, 1818-Madrid, 1867) was a Spanish painter of the Romantic period who excelled in the composition of costumbrista themes. He began painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Santa Isabel de Hungría in his hometown with José Domínguez...

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