About This Exhibition

Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Drawings

Goya: Draftsman of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Exhibition Checklist
• Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Drawings
• Goya's Drawings

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The Spanish Manner: Drawings from Ribera to Goya
October 5, 2010, through January 9, 2011

Exhibition Checklist: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Drawings

Francisco Pacheco (1564–1644) King David 1610–13 Pen and ink with wash Private collection, New York; promised gift to The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 1

Pacheco’s preparatory study for the altarpiece of Saint John the Baptist at the Church of the Convento de San Clemente in Seville was based on careful measurements, as indicated by the chalk mark at the drawing’s center. The halo around David’s head is absent from the painting, reflecting a change from the original drawing. The final work emphasizes David’s role as a prophet, rather than as Jesus’s ancestor.

Vicente Carducho (c. 1576–1638) Martyrdom of Father Andrés c. 1632 Brush and wash, over black chalk, heightened with partially oxidized white gouache The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, Gift of Mrs. Gertrude W. and Seth Dennis (1986.42) CAT. NO. 2

Carducho’s patron, Prior Juan de Baeza of El Paular, intervened in the artistic process with a comment written at the top of this sheet suggesting that the martyr hang directly in the center. Carducho accepted his advice. In the final painting Father Andrés hangs in the middle, and the dog at lower right looks out to engage the viewer.

Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) David and Goliath c. 1625–30 Chalk Private collection, New York; promised gift to The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 3

Ribera’s preparatory drawing for a now-lost painting demonstrates the two-chalk technique. Delicate strokes in red chalk indicate areas of flesh and Goliath’s belt. Black chalk carefully calibrates shadows. The stone David flung is still lodged in the giant’s brow. David detaches Goliath’s head with a broad-bladed sword, while the giant struggles to rise. At upper right SOLIS was inscribed by Madrid drawings collector Francisco de Solís (1629–1684).

Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) Studies of a Head in Profile c. 1622 Chalk Princeton University Art Museum, Museum purchase, Laura P. Hall Memorial Fund and Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund (2002-97) CAT. NO. 4

Four motifs ingeniously intermingle in Ribera’s sheet of red chalk studies, creating layers of interaction. Ribera used various techniques, combining crosshatching in the hair, parallel lines along the jaw, and stumping in areas of shadow. A strong line defines the nose in the large profile. Despite the subject's serious and intense gaze, Ribera added playful details like stray hairs on the modeled chin.

Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) Bat and Two Ears c. 1620–25 Brush, wash, and chalk The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1972 CAT. NO. 5

The incongruous juxtaposition of two ears, seen from two vantage points, and the precise rendering of a bat with extended wings creates a powerful composition. Under the bat is a Latin inscription FVLGET SEMPER VIRTUS (Virtue Shines Forever). The bat was associated with the kingdom of Valencia, Ribera’s birthplace. According to legend, during a campaign to reconquer Valencia in the thirteenth century, a bat alighted on Jaime I of Aragon’s helmet.

Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) Head of a Satyr c. 1625–30 Chalk The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1954 CAT. NO. 6

Head of a Satyr dates from the period during which Ribera made numerous red chalk studies, especially of grotesque or fantastic heads. Creatures from Greek mythology, satyrs are often depicted as halfmen with pointed ears, tails, and the legs and horns of a goat, displaying passionate and lascivious desires. Note the naturalistic way in which the artist represents the fantastic creature, with his hollow cheeks, wrinkled brow, and sparse goatee.

Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) Crucifixion of Saint Peter c. 1628–30 Pen and ink The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1919 CAT. NO. 7

The central figure in the drawing is Saint Peter, who was crucified upside down. There is no known painting by Ribera of the subject, although it occurs in two other drawings. Ribera repeatedly scribbled different versions of his monogram on this sheet, as if practicing. A fragmentary inscription at lower left could be a version of his name in Latin, which he sometimes used as a distinctive signature on his pictures.

Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) Male Figure Wearing Toga with Little Man Sitting on His Head c. 1630 Pen and ink with wash The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harry G. Sperling Fund, 1981 CAT. NO. 8

Sitting on the bald head of a man in a toga, a miniature figure holds a banner inscribed by the artist: NICCOLÓ SIMONELLI. Simonelli was a collector and dealer active in Rome. Along with drawings by Salvator Rosa and Nicolas Poussin, Simonelli perhaps owned this sheet, a possible caricature.

Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) Head of a Man with Little Figures on His Head c. 1630 Pen and ink with wash over some chalk Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Muriel and Philip Berman Gift, acquired from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with funds contributed by Muriel and Philip Berman and the Edgar Viguers Seeler Fund (by exchange), 1984 CAT. NO. 9

This drawing combines two of Ribera’s characteristic motifs — the grotesque head and the miniature male figure. Four tiny acrobatic figures ascend the hat of a man gazing placidly ahead, unaware of the antics atop his headgear.

Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) Adoration of the Shepherds c. 1645–50 Pen and ink with wash The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1968 CAT. NO. 10

Dating from the later period of Ribera’s activity, this ink and wash composition is markedly different in technique from his early drawings, especially the red chalk studies. The freedom of his hand is evident, however, in details like the animal at left, faintly suggested with nervous lines. The more developed kneeling shepherd at right directs the viewer’s eye to the mother and child at the center.

Alonso Cano (1601–1667) Design for the Altarpiece of the Chapel of San Diego de Alcalá, Convent of Santa María de Jesús, Alcalá de Henares 1657–58 Pen and ink with wash, on seventeen separate sheets of paper joined together and mounted on three support sheets The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, Purchased as the gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman (1986.46) CAT. NO. 11

Cano offered both sculptural and painted solutions for the decoration of the altarpiece commissioned by Philip IV, whose coats of arms can be seen at the bottom left and right of the drawing, to adorn the chapel of San Diego de Alcalá. Blue wash adds further definition to architectural elements.

Attributed to Sebastián de Herrera Barnuevo (1619–1671) An Auto-da-fé c. 1660 Pen and ink with wash, over traces of pencil The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971 CAT. NO. 12

This is the only known seventeenth-century drawing depicting a contemporary general “auto-da-fé,” a ceremony that marked the end of some of the most important Inquisition trials. The artist recorded the temporary structure erected in a city square, skillfully conveying a sense of the space and the onlooking crowd. At left the condemned, wearing tall conical hats, wait in turn for their sentences to be announced.

Francisco de Herrera the Elder (c. 1576–1656) San Matías 1642 Pen and ink, over traces of chalk, with reinforcing touches of darker ink The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 13

San Matías, one of the seventy followers of Christ, was made an apostle after the betrayal of Judas Iscariot and the death of Jesus. Herrera the Elder depicted San Matías with an upward gaze, standing in profile in an outdoor setting, as if accepting his calling. By drawing with a reed pen, the artist was able to vary the thickness of the lines.

Francisco de Herrera the Elder (c. 1576–1656) Apostle with Staff, Half-Figure c. 1640 Brush and wash over chalk underdrawing The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971 CAT. NO. 14

A loose wash technique, frequently used by Herrera the Elder, creates mystery around the figure by leaving his features undefined. Unlike his nearby drawing of San Matías, here Herrera the Elder does not identify the subject. Drawings like this one, related to others in this technique, may portray “famous men” from history, legend, and religion.

Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra (1616–1668) Four Heads of Men c. 1660 Pen and ink Private collection, New York; promised gift to The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 15

Castillo’s Four Heads is one of several sheets of studies made in pen and ink and signed by the artist at the center with his entwined monogram. Although the head studies appear to have been drawn from life, they may have been influenced by prints of similar head studies by Abraham Bloemaert and other northern masters, which were readily available to Castillo in Córdoba.

Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra (1616–1668) Saint Jerome Reading in the Desert c. 1655 Chalk Private collection, New York; promised gift to The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 16

This drawing is one of several that Castillo made of Saint Jerome in the wilderness, here using sharpened chalk to add strokes of detail and reinforcing outlines along the arm and the saint’s back. The artist’s enlaced initials appear at the left side, carefully written on the stone where Saint Jerome sits. A later annotation of the artist’s full name is visible at lower left.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682) Saint Felix of Cantalice Holding the Christ Child c. 1665–69 Pen and ink with wash over chalk The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, Purchased by Pierpont Morgan, 1909 (I, 110) CAT. NO. 17

The exquisite delicacy of line here demonstrates the artist’s technical mastery. The drawing relates closely to Murillo’s painting of Saint Felix Holding the Christ Child in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville. One of the first Spanish drawings to be acquired by J. P. Morgan, this work and the nearby Virgin of the Immaculate Conception were bought by the financier in 1910.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682) Virgin of the Immaculate Conception c. 1665–70 Pen and ink with wash over traces of chalk The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, Purchased by Pierpont Morgan, 1909 (I, 111) CAT. NO. 18

This drawing and the nearby Saint Felix of Cantalice Holding the Christ Child are among the earliest Spanish drawings to enter New York collections. The liveliness and variety of lines are basic elements of Murillo’s drawing technique.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682) Christ on the Cross c. 1665–70 Pen and ink with wash over chalk Princeton University Art Museum, Museum Purchase, Laura P. Hall Memorial Fund (1972-40) CAT. NO. 19

Many of Murillo’s drawings are monochromatic, and Christ on the Cross is an excellent example. Although this agile drawing is not believed to be a preparatory study, Christ’s body and face are animated by the interplay of chalk, pen and ink, and brown wash, producing the soft effects admired in Murillo’s paintings. An inscription at lower right reads 400 RS (400 reales), a high valuation.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682) Nativity 1665–70 Pen and ink and brush with wash, over traces of chalk The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Clifford A. Furst Bequest, by exchange, and Harry G. Sperling Fund, 1995 CAT. NO. 20

The intimacy of this composition, similar to a painting on obsidian of the same subject, suggests that the artist made it for contemplation by a private collector. Murillo’s masterful use of wash was prized by collectors like his patron Justino de Neve, canon of the Cathedral of Seville, and Don Nicholas Omazur, a Flemish merchant resident in Seville.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682) Studies of a Head and Ear 1665–70 Chalk Princeton University Art Museum, Museum Purchase, Laura P. Hall Memorial Fund and Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund (2002-96) CAT. NO. 21

The study of a beggar’s head, tilted up to receive a blessing, is brought to life in the two-chalk technique, with red tones indicating flesh and black defining hair and providing contours to the cheekbone and open mouth. At lower left, a second study of an ear appears drawn from life, carefully articulating the anatomy with red chalk.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682) Standing Man Holding a Hat 1670s Pen and ink The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1965 CAT. NO. 22

Murillo’s scrawling and agitated drawing technique, typical of his late style, is unmistakable in this sheet. The figure’s pose is steady enough, but details are merely suggested in the tangle of zigzag lines. In his right hand, the gentleman holds his hat, the inside of the crown facing outward; on the other side of the body, we can see a cape draped over his left forearm, the hand resting on his hip.

Francisco Camilo (c. 1615–1673) Martyrdom of Saint Peter Martyr c. 1656–57 Pen and ink with wash, heightened with white, over chalk The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971 CAT. NO. 23

This study for a lost painting is dramatic, highlighted with white for definition and squared in red chalk for transfer to a canvas. The Dominican Saint Peter Martyr points to heaven before the raised sword of a Cathar known as Carino of Balsamo. The Cathar strikes a mortal blow as the martyr writes CREDO (I believe) on the rock in his own blood.

Juan Carreño de Miranda (1614–1685) Ecce Homo c. 1666–75 Red chalk and charcoal The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Mary Oenslager Fund (1998.266) CAT. NO. 24

Ecce homo (“behold the man”) were the famous words Pontius Pilate uttered when he presented Christ to the crowd before the Crucifixion. Carreño’s version is drawn from close perspective with red and black chalk animating the flesh and the physical presence of the subject. Strokes of red chalk flicker over the face and body, and black chalk adds details like hair or the shadow of the nostril.

Juan Carreño de Miranda (1614–1685) Study for the Assumption of the Virgin 1657 Pen and ink with wash and white wash highlights over traces of black chalk The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880 CAT. NO. 25

The first Spanish drawing to enter a New York public collection, this sheet of studies is actually a series of sketches for Carreño’s Assumption of the Virgin, in the Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao. The artist probably kept the drawing in his studio and used the various studies as inspiration for several years.

Francisco de Herrera the Younger, called el Mozo (1627–1685) Design for a Processional Sculpture of The Vision of Saint John on Patmos, with Five Variant Plans 1660–71 Pen and ink with wash, over metalpoint The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, Purchased as the gift of Walter C. Baker (1960.12) CAT. NO. 26

Herrera the Younger’s electric lines animate this design for a processional float. Five cartouches in the lower third of the sheet offer varying solutions for the construction. Herrera the Younger designed the float to celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, often represented by Saint John’s vision in the Book of Revelation.

Artist unknown [formerly attributed to Sebastián de Herrera Barnuevo (1619–1671)] Crucifixion c. 1655 Pen and ink and brown, green, and orange washes, with traces of red chalk and blue crayon The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 27

This composition appears to be a fanciful combination of the real and the miraculous. It can also be seen as an architectural rendering of a crucifix in front of a painted wall, where the putti are painted behind the sculpture. Color applied to architectural detail such as the jasper plinth below the cross appears to be contemporary with the drawing.

Artist unknown [attributed to Antonio García Reinoso (c. 1623–1677)] Monstrance Design c. 1660–70 Pen and ink, with brush and wash and blue crayon, with traces of black chalk Private collection, New York; promised gift to The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 28

Attributed to Antonio García Reinoso, this highly finished and colored preparatory design was intended for a silver monstrance to hold the consecrated Host on the altar. Sacred vessels like this were cast and carved by silversmiths. Touches of blue may indicate the placement of lapis lazuli or other precious materials.

Francisco Rizi de Guevara (1614–1685) Design for a Frontispiece: Mercury and Fame 1650 Pen and ink and brush with wash; composition outlined in pen and ink The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Harry J. Sperling, 1971 CAT. NO. 29

This spirited design was used to make the engraved frontispiece to the festival book commemorating the arrival in Spain of the fourteen-year-old Mariana of Austria to marry her Hapsburg uncle, Philip IV of Spain, in 1649. The king, represented as Mercury, takes the hand of Fame, holding a flaming torch.

José Antolínez (1635–1675) The Immaculate Conception c. 1665 Pen and ink with wash The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 30

Few drawings survive by José Antolínez, who died at an early age in a duel. This study for his Immaculate Conception, now in the Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao, is notable for its billowing draperies and sense of movement, as if a light wind were blowing around the Virgin. She is shown as Queen of Heaven, crowned with twelve stars, according to the description of the Lady of the Apocalypse in Revelation 12:1.

Mariano Salvador Maella (1739–1819) Study for the Royal Palace Fresco: Hercules between Virtue and Vice 1765–66 Black chalk, heightened with white The Hispanic Society of America, New York CAT. NO. 31

After studying in Rome, Maella returned to Madrid in the summer of 1765 to begin working under the supervision of Anton Raphael Mengs at the Royal Palace. This drawing was the first of two sketches made by Maella for the ceiling fresco in the Sala de Vestir del Príncipe, or the Prince’s Dressing Room.

Francisco Bayeu (1734–1795) Dove of the Holy Spirit for the Regina Angelorum Ceiling at El Pilar, Zaragoza 1775–76 Chalk The Hispanic Society of America, New York, Gift of the Baroness von Pantz, 1972 CAT. NO. 32

This study in white and black chalk is a preparatory sketch of the magnificent dove of the Holy Spirit that occupies the center of Bayeu’s ceiling painting Regina Angelorum. The white bird was painted against a sky of orange and yellow light. A thumbprint in orange is still visible where the artist held the drawing while painting the ceiling.

Goya's Drawings (continued) >>>

The exhibition is made possible, in part, by the David L. Klein Jr. Foundation, Elizabeth and Jean-Marie Eveillard, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

The accompanying catalogue has been generously underwritten by the Center for Spain in America.