Baroque art in Spain

Spain was the dominant power in Europe for much of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

1600 - 1700

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Juan de Pareja, <em>The Calling of Saint Matthew</em>
Juan de Pareja, The Calling of Saint Matthew

An extraordinary statement of freedom, Pareja includes his self-portrait in this famous biblical narrative.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, <em>The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables</em>
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables

The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables is the most famous painting by the most acclaimed Spanish painter of the latter half of the seventeenth century

Juan Martínez Montañés, St. John the Baptist
Juan Martínez Montañés, St. John the Baptist

Seen from across the Spanish Court at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, St. John looks uncannily alive!

The Abduction of Helen Tapestry
The Abduction of Helen Tapestry

An ancient Greek story on a tapestry made in China, for export back to Portugal.

A Still Life of Global Dimensions: Antonio de Pereda’s <em>Still Life with Ebony Chest</em>
A Still Life of Global Dimensions: Antonio de Pereda’s Still Life with Ebony Chest

In this still life, objects and customs from around the world converge around one delicious food: chocolate.

Jerónimo de Balbás, <em>Altar of the Kings (Altar de los Reyes)</em>
Jerónimo de Balbás, Altar of the Kings (Altar de los Reyes)

This multimedia architectural altarpiece took two decades to complete, and required teams of workers in many media.

Juan Martínez Montañés and Francisco Pacheco, <em>Christ of Clemency</em>
Juan Martínez Montañés and Francisco Pacheco, Christ of Clemency

The sculptor Martínez Montañés was the “God of Wood,” but it’s the painter Pacheco who brought this work to life.

Diego Velázquez, <em>Juan de Pareja</em>
Diego Velázquez, Juan de Pareja

How do you paint your own slave? Painter Julie Mehretu explores Velázquez’s answer to this troubling question.

Jusepe de Ribera, <em>The Martyrdom of Saint Philip</em>
Jusepe de Ribera, The Martyrdom of Saint Philip

Ribera depicts the moment before St. Philip’s death, yet the martyr’s body distorts and collapses before our eyes.

Diego Velázquez, <em>Las Meninas</em>
Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas

This puzzling painting about painting is half genre scene, half family portrait. But what’s on the large canvas?

Diego Velázquez, <em>Vulcan’s Forge</em>
Diego Velázquez, Vulcan’s Forge

Don’t strike the messenger! Interrupted at his forge, a horrified Vulcan looks ready to hammer Apollo.

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