Spanish Pride

BOSTON—It has long been believed that arts patronage in Spain came to a halt during the reign of Philip III (1598–1621). But while the pious leader may have wasted his riches on opulent ceremony, the duke of Lerma—a favorite of the king—and other, less-famous courtiers were quite prolific with their commissions, as is attested by a dazzling display of period paintings in “El Greco to Velázquez: Art During the Reign of Philip III” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Bookended by two giants of Spanish painting, the show, on view from the 20th of this month through July 27, “explains how we got from one to the other,” MFA curator Ronni Baer says. Along the way, royalty is idealized, as in Bartolomé González’s circa 1613–14 portrayal of Philip’s children Alfonso and Ana Margarita; saints are humanized; naturalism burgeons; and still-life painting comes into its own, notably in Juan Sánchez Cotán’s brilliantly composed Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber, circa 1600. The exhibition travels to the Nasher Museum of Art, in North Carolina, in August.

"Spanish Pride" originally appeared in the April 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's April 2008 Table of Contents.