Important Christmas Fine Art Auction: Haute Epoque, Jewels and Colonial Treasures
Lot 161:
Of the three known versions by the same author with the same theme, the work that Templum has the honor of presenting in our Christmas Auction stands out from the rest for its exquisite details and careful technique, as well as for its excellent state of conservation in polychrome. only with eight small patches on the back and without relining. Oil on canvas, frame not included. Canvas measurements: 164 x 110 cm. Born in Seville, he was a member of a prominent Andalusian noble family, and entered in 1660 as a knight of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. For this reason he had to move to the island of Malta, seat of the Order and its Grand Master, to take the tests as a knight, carrying out the mandatory tasks of stewardship and also of a war type (especially against the Turks). In his brief returns to his hometown he took the opportunity, for example, to photograph the recently appointed Seville archbishop Ambrosio Ignacio de Spínola (1670), demonstrating how much he knew the Murrillesque style when he was not under the chiaroscuro influence of Preti, and that it is true what the classics of art historiography point out: his great ability as a portrait painter. On another occasion he would take the opportunity to join the prestigious and elitist Brotherhood of Charity. In August 1695, Núñez de Villavicencio returned to Madrid from Seville, where he would have traveled on personal matters or to rest. He was surely going to rejoin his position when he died at the inn where he was staying. This is recorded in the account books of the Madrid reception of the Order of Saint John, which contain the accounts due to his death and even a brief inventory of his possessions at his last moment, as well as other details. of his will. Provenance: important Spanish private collection, lot not subject to reservation.
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