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This paper reveals the identity and authorship of an unknown Portrait of a Gentleman previously attributed to the circle of Diego Velázquez. Based on the peculiar physiognomy of the sitter, and in comparison to other known portraits, it can be identified as Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 8th Duke of Alburquerque (1619-1676), Viceroy of New Spain (1653-1660) and Sicily (1668-1670). Albuquerque was known to be in Flanders between 1640 and 1643, during which time he was portrayed by siblings Michaelina and Charles Wautier, to whom the painting can now be attributed for stylistic and historical reasons, and supported by evidence of the remains of a signature in the upper left-hand corner of the canvas. This paper traces the career of the Duke of Albuquerque, which is linked to the history of Spain, Flanders, Mexico, and Sicily, highlighting his inclination towards the Fine Arts, whilst delving into his polemic participation in the Battle of Rocroi in 1643.

This paper reports on a document in which the University of Alcalá ordered a set of tapestries from the series of Alexander the Great following the pattern of the tapestry maker François Raes.

This paper proposes the attribution to the Sevillian sculptor Pedro Duque Cornejo (1678-1757) of a sculpture representing St Joachim, preserved in the church of Carmen in Popayán, Colombia. For this, it is reconstructed the creative context of the work, posing some hypotheses about its potential clients and evaluating its impact on the city, where it was copied up to three times. Its case is significant for the study of the sculpture trade between Spain and America during the eighteenth century, proving that Duque Cornejo’s workshop had and American expansion, unknown to date.

This paper discusses the figure of Bishop Diego Ramírez de Villaescusa and his role as a consumer and principal of Flemish works of art. We are faced with a character integrated into the circles of political power, close to the last humanistic and cultural tendencies, whose professional career allowed him to approach the main artistic focuses of his time. As the main chaplain of the chapel of Juana, he had the opportunity to accompany her on her Flemish journey, thus accessing the luxury and sophistication of the Court of Philip the Beautiful. We will see how, taking advantage of the contacts that his position provided him, he acquired some high-quality pieces, like the book of hours of Leonor de la Vega, the Crucifixion tapestry or devotional panels, using them as present to caress different personalities. However, he would also acquire works for himself, demonstrating an interest in the art that was practiced in Brabant territory. We will also analyze the documented artistic works and their relevance to Villaescusa's understanding as patron of the arts.

In this paper the participation of Jusepe Leonardo (Calatayud, 1601-Zaragoza, ca. 1653) in the execution of paintings for the Holy Week monuments in the old church of Santa Maria de la Almudena (Madrid) is documented, as well as the manufacturing process of these architectures since 1632, in which different masters intervened. Through the payments registered in the church ledgers, it is possible to add two works to the catalogue of the painter. Both paintings, the Flagellation of Christ and the Agony in the Garden, were commissioned for the 1633 monument, but from that date their location is unknown.

This article raises the veracity of a series of records related to supposed courtly offices for painters at the court in Madrid, about which there is no clear reference in the documentation related to the palace administration. However, other indirect documents are known to suggest that such offices existed at least as honorary titles. In any case, it is known that they were used, even if fraudulently or abusively. These offices or honorary titles are those of court painter appointed to the Prince, to the Infant and a second court painter appointed to the King. This paper deals with several examples of these cases concerning the painters Pedro Carvajal, Francisco Ginete, López Polanco, Gómez de la Hermosa, Antonio Rizi, Francisco Rizi and Isidoro Arredondo. Based on the analysis of the documents reporting the use of these titles, the hypothesis is presented that the artists in question made a legitimate use of them.

This paper focuses on the Sevillian sculptor and assembler Miguel de Perea Ahumada (1680-ca. 1743), best known for being the master of the sculptor Benito de Hito y Castillo. A new biographical approach is presented, based on new documentary sources and some news scattered in the bibliography. Furthermore, his figure is analyzed in the context of Sevillian sculpture of the first half of the 18th century, where the raising of the workshop of Pedro Duque Cornejo precipitated the migration of masters such as Perea to other artistic centers.

During the last decade of the seventeenth century, the Spanish Court portrait, moved between naturalism and idealization. It orbited between the tradition that dragged from the middle of the century in the royal representation and the new airs coming from France. Two painters represent like nobody else these two tendencies within the portrait of Queen Maria Anna of Neuburg, the flemish Jan van Kessel II and the french Jacques Courtilleau. With this paper we want to delve into their pictorial styles and add some works to their almost unknown catalogs.

In this paper the context of materialisation of the façade of San Esteban de Salamanca is drawn, considering the complexity of the sixteenth century in the case of the trajectory of the Order of Preachers in the university city, the links with Carlos V and the culture visual of the elites of the moment. In the gable end, the same strategies chosen are used to extol the figure of the Emperor in terms of his mythical and noble origin, applied to the promoter, Fray Juan Álvarez de Toledo. The visual projection of the Dominicans is analysed from the different discourses of success and power of the Order.

The King’s summer study, la Pieza del Despacho de Verano, is a perfect point of departure for discussing the possibilities and limits of reconstructing a room in the Alcázar, the royal palace. Although the inventaries from 1666 and 1686 just tell us the subject and size of 33 pictures together with seven mirrors and six bufetes, the paper argues that it is possible to reconstruct the scale and decoration of the pieza del despacho de verano. On the basis of the order in the inventories, a convincing reconstruction is possible and leads to a visual presentation of the room that harbored Las Meninas. In a more general sense this gives us at hand a ‘layout’ for reconstructing other rooms in the king’s palace(s).

Several series of Sibyls, of variable number and quality, that have been previously attributed to different painters within Peter Paul Rubens’ circle, in foreign and Spanish collections, as well as in the art market, are here claimed to be by the hand of the Flemish master Jan van den Hoecke. The persistent confusion both in terms of attribution and identification of the subject matter is clarified in this paper, following on from Hans Vlieghe’s 1990 evidence. Tracing the now dispersed series as far as possible, the present article pays special attention to the eleven canvasses at Tessé Museum, Le Mans, as they appear part of a unique ensemble that still remains undispersed. For these series Jan van den Hoecke created an original iconography, with no formal precedents. Comparison of the different versions allows for a deciphering of the Latin texts accompanying each depiction, and for an identification of their literal sources. Judging by the numerous versions, the series of Sibyls must have rewarded the artist with great success, a demand that he satisfied with a changeable effort

This paper constitutes the second part of a previous study on the drawings of the Sevillian sculptor, painter and assembler Pedro Duque Cornejo (1678-1757) which were part of a scattered album, known as "Jaffe album". This study focus on the lot preserved in The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover (NH, USA), where thirty-seven new drawings have been discovered and attributed to this prolific artist of the Andalusian Baroque.

In this paper, Johannes de Lairesse is identified as the author of an Allegory of Drawing which was previously catalogued as a work of his father, Gérard de Lairesse. It’s complex iconography, also mistaken with Achilles recognised among the Daughters of Lycomedes, is here clarified.

The sculptor Pedro Duque Cornejo (1678-1757) was one of the most prolific and versatile artists of the Sevillian baroque, although so far his role as a draftsman has been rarely considered because of the few drawings identified. The discovery of a large group in the so called "Jaffe album" contributes to filling this gap and reconsidering the role of drawing in the creative process of the sculptor. In this paper, it is the first time that thirty-nine drawings from this album preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are catalogued and studied as a whole.

Abstract: This paper discloses a painting signed by Antonio Hidalgo, an artist from the Seville School who was active between 1664 and 1689. It is a depiction of The Last Communion of Saint Ferdinand of Castile, a painting made in 1683 and preserved at the Old Cathedral of Cadiz. Key words: Antonio Hidalgo; Seville School of painting; Last Communion of Saint Ferdinand of Castile; Old Cathedral of Cadiz.

Abstract: This paper analyses the evolution of the commercial and institutional systems in the ancient Low Countries from the 17th to the 18th Centuries.

In this paper the authorship of a Crucifixion attributed to Abraham van Diepenbeeck is returned to Victor Wolfvoet. It is proved by the iconography and the style of this painting, which is influenced by a sketch from Rubens and, specially, by an engraving from Jacob Neefs in which the same theme is depicted.

The multinational army, under Alessandro Farnese, had a large presence of Italians. In the light of new archival documentation this paper deals with their recruitment, careers and employment. The preferential treatment accorded by the general to his fellow countrymen created him problems with soldiers of other nationalities and with the Spanish court and contributed greatly to the decision of his removal from power. The biography of Paolo Rinaldi, written to defend the memory of Alessandro, memorials of his officers and their correspondence indicate what was the reason for his behaviour. The general aimed to get the support of the local population, and especially of the peasants, for military operations and Italians, thanks to the stricter discipline he could impose on them, could help him in achieving his objectives, better than soldiers of other nations. Not always his hopes were realized.

This paper focuses on the political action of Netherlands General Governors' confessors during the seventeenth century. These friars, whose reputation of political influence was well-established, were under scrutiny from General Governor, Madrid and the Holy See. Those centers of power developed competing strategies to convert the confessor into a relay for their policies in Flanders. This study seeks to determine if these efforts turned successful, and to which extend.

This paper focuses on the authorship of Pieter Crijnse Volmarijn related to the paintings Samson and Delilah and The final meeting between Helen and Menelaus, both of them tradicionally linked to Rubens and his school. As far as the first painting is concerned, its influence from Van Dyck and Rubens and also from the classical sculpture is expounded. And as for the second one, its attribution to Rubens, suggested by Van Puyvelde and Bodart, is rejected at the same time that the scene is identified as the reunion between Helen and Menelaus after taking Troy

The Flemish painter Gysbrecht Thys (also spelled Thijs, Thyssen or Tijssens) (1617- ca. 1684), has for centuries been mistaken for several of his namesakes. Although his identity was clarified in 1996 by two essential articles, none of his works have previously surfaced until today. The paintings studied in the present paper, which are the first addition to Gysbrecht Thys’ œuvre, help to define the artistic personality of a previously neglected painter. Given to consider the painting’s compositions, their formal and literary sources of inspiration, and the influences that make-up his style; Thys reveals his versatility, a certain degree of classical culture from his time in Italy, and probable contacts with erudite religious circles in Antwerp. Further Thys’ participation in a Garland of fruit and flowers by Joris van Son, allows for an excursus on the latter’s production and on his probable collaboration with Jan van Balen among others; leading to a greater understanding of several less studied masters from the Antwerp School in the 17th century.

This paper discloses a work signed in 1688 by the painter Antonio Hidalgo, an artist from the Seville school of painting who was active between 1664 and 1689. It is his first identified painting