IMPORTANT OLD MASTER PAINTINGS AND HAUTE EPOQUE AUCTION, INCLUDING MODERN
Signed and dated between the legs of King Baltasar: “PEDRO LÓPEZ FACIEBA – 1608”. Oil on canvas, measurements: 139 x 111 cm. Pedro López was a painter and gilder from Toledo, a disciple of El Greco. There are several documents in which he appears as a gilder or painter in collaboration with other artists, the first of them dated 1598. In 1605 he was rejected by the Illescas Hospital to carry out the work of appraisal of his altarpiece since they alleged that it was official by El Greco, a fact that confirms Ceán’s idea that he was a disciple of the Cretan master, so we assume that the bulk of his artistic work is done under the signature of El Greco. Although only one documented work of his painted in 1608 is known, which is another “Adoration of the Kings” preserved today in the Chapter House of the Archbishopric of Toledo that comes from the Church of El Salvador but was previously in the cloister of the neighboring convent of the Trinitarians. Although in it the influence of El Greco is not noticed, but rather a relationship with what was typical of El Escorial at the time in the style of Carvajal with small Venetian features similar to those of Bartolomé Carducho but in a drier and more linear tone. All the documents point to our artist among the imagery painters more than among the brush painters, although in the work that concerns us today and the one preserved in El Salvador, he does not seem to perform badly on the canvas. Pedro López represents the Adoration of the Magi, passage from the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 2-12) in the book of the New Testament. The Epiphany is one of the oldest representations in the artistic world in which it is narrated how some Magi followed a bright star to worship and bring gifts to the Child Jesus. According to tradition, Gaspar, Melchor and Baltasar (according to certain beliefs they represent the three ages of man and the three continents known until the fifteenth century to Europe, Asia, and Africa, respectively) arrived on a horse, a camel and an elephant (or in three camels depending on the country) bringing with them gold, frankincense and myrrh. As the central figure of the scene within classical architecture, we find the seated Virgin. She wears a red robe and a blue cloak that wraps around her body. With the serene face of a young woman and whitish complexion, she covers her head with a white veil and gently holds the little newborn on her lap. The baby Jesus appears standing and naked covered by a transparent white gauze. The presence of the three Kings of the East celebrates the birth of the Savior. To the right of the Virgin, we find King Melchior prostrated in reverence who has placed the crown on the ground to emphasize the divine hierarchy of Jesus. Behind him, King Gaspar is standing and, on the other side, Baltasar. All three wear striking and colorful clothing. In the background, under a dark sky, a page holds three camels that poke their heads behind the architecture. On one step, we find a legend that reads: “SVBTVVM PRAESIDIVM CONFVGIMVS SANCTA DEI GENITRIZ NRÃS / DEPRAECACIONES NE DESPICIAS INNECESITATIBVS”. The fact that the quality of this Adoration is much higher than the one we have mentioned previously (signed by Pedro López himself and with the same date), which is in the church of El Salvador in Toledo, can lead us to think that , for reasons of price, time, or demands of the commission, since the donors have their portraits taken, very possibly our canvas was part of a larger work such as the central painting of the altarpiece of a Sepulchral Chapel. The work was professionally restored in 2008 by D. Mariano Nieto Pérez, Restorer Conservator of the Spanish Historical Heritage Institute (IPHE) Madrid. Provenance: important Spanish private collection. It can lead us to think that, for reasons of price, time, or demands of the commission, since the donors have their portraits taken, very possibly our canvas was part of a larger work such as the central painting of the altarpiece of a Sepulchral Chapel . The work was professionally restored in 2008 by D. Mariano Nieto Pérez, Restorer Conservator of the Spanish Historical Heritage Institute (IPHE) Madrid. Provenance: important Spanish private collection. It can lead us to think that, for reasons of price, time, or demands of the commission, since the donors have their portraits taken, very possibly our canvas was part of a larger work such as the central painting of the altarpiece of a Sepulchral Chapel . The work was professionally restored in 2008 by D. Mariano Nieto Pérez, Restorer Conservator of the Spanish Historical Heritage Institute (IPHE) Madrid. Provenance: important Spanish private collection. Restorer Conservator of the Spanish Historical Heritage Institute (IPHE) Madrid. Provenance: important Spanish private collection. Restorer Conservator of the Spanish Historical Heritage Institute (IPHE) Madrid. Provenance: important Spanish private collection.
