ESCUELA MADRILEÑA (XVII C / .) "Traders in a port"

Provenance: - Collection of Infante Sebastián Gabriel de Borbón. - Private collection, Madrid. This interesting painting from the collection of the Infante Sebastián Gabriel shows a port scene with a group of figures in the foreground and a large landscape background. The group of figures is taken directly from Velázquez's painting of Philip IV hunting a wild boar which, originally painted for the Torre de la Parada, is now in the National Gallery. The work has certain stylistic parallels with some paintings by Juan Bautista Martà nez del Mazo, Velázquez's disciple and son-in-law, who frequently worked in the landscape genre. In many of his canvases, such as View of Saragossa and The Hunting of the Tabladillo in Aranjuez (Museo del Prado), he demonstrated his ability to include groups of small-scale figures within the landscape. The background with the marine scene, the boat and the two figures have a certain air of the Neapolitan painting that Mazo was directly familiar with during his stay in Italy. . Oil on canvas..52 x 67,5 cm.