Capriccio of the Judgement of Solomon
ca. 1660s
46.75" x 71" Framed: 56" x 80"
Painting, oil on canvas
Region: European, Spain
46.75" x 71" Framed: 56" x 80"
Painting, oil on canvas
Region: European, Spain
An elaborate architectural fantasy or capriccio depicts the Old Testament story of the judgment of Solomon. Solomon, in a crimson robe and crown, sits in the left foreground on a large, carved, ornate throne with a red baldachin above him. The two women who each claimed the same baby (lying on tiled floor between them) plead their case before the king.
Solomon has extended his right arm, and one of his guards, !bare from the waist up, nears the baby with a sword, in order to carry out the king's order to cut the baby in half. The woman to the right of the baby throws up her arms as if shielding the infant from the man. Other figures fill the foreground, dressed in costume as if for a theatrical production.
A great open arch defines the right side of the painting. Two solomonic columns flank the opening, through which can be seen a formal European garden, with paths, garden beds, potted trees or shrubs and a tiered fountain. Beyond the garden rises a three-story palace of contemporary Spanish design, with an arcade on the first floor. The sky is a clear blue with towering clouds.
The artist painted two other pieces of the same subject and scene; one is in the Prado Museum, the other in Villagarcía de Campos.
Solomon has extended his right arm, and one of his guards, !bare from the waist up, nears the baby with a sword, in order to carry out the king's order to cut the baby in half. The woman to the right of the baby throws up her arms as if shielding the infant from the man. Other figures fill the foreground, dressed in costume as if for a theatrical production.
A great open arch defines the right side of the painting. Two solomonic columns flank the opening, through which can be seen a formal European garden, with paths, garden beds, potted trees or shrubs and a tiered fountain. Beyond the garden rises a three-story palace of contemporary Spanish design, with an arcade on the first floor. The sky is a clear blue with towering clouds.
The artist painted two other pieces of the same subject and scene; one is in the Prado Museum, the other in Villagarcía de Campos.
About the Artist
(1616 - ca. 1670)
Francisco Gutiérrez Cabello (c. 1616-1670) was a Spanish Baroque painter specializing in painting architectural perspectives accompanied by stories generally taken from the Bible.There is not much information about his life, although it is known that he was born in the valley of Bárcena (Cantabria) and that he was of noble blood, as he sometimes mentions the ennobling “don” next to his name and the Cantabrian plots of land in his surname. It is not known when and under what circumstances he moved to Madrid, but his move must have been very early, since in 1630, when he was fourteen, he met Velázquez at the Court. This fact may perhaps determine his apprenticeship in painting with some famous master linked to the palace; given Cabello’s specialization and style, the apprenticeship likely could have taken place under Juan de la Corte.
His source of inspiration also drew on Flemish mannerist prints, especially those of Vredeman de Vries.
He appeared as a painter at a very young age, in 1639, buying various objects at Vicente Carducho's auction, including two clay figurines, a Fortune and a Mercury for 12 reales. Once he had settled as a painter in Madrid he formalised his marriage to Clara de Tovar, who would outlive him over time.
His skill in the genre of perspectives must have quickly given him prestige and somewhat focused his professional career. In 1649 he executed various projects for the street decorations that were made for the entry into Madrid of Queen Mariana of Austria, carrying out various demonstrations of the Puerta de Alcalá and triumphal arches that would mark the royal procession. His success as a painter in Madrid must have been great. Díaz del Valle, chronicler of Philip IV and singer of the royal chapel, recorded his prestige in the Origen ilustración del nobilísimo y real arte de la pintura of 1657, considering the artist as an “admirable painter of perspectives”.
Gutiérrez complemented his own income by working as an appraiser of painting collections throughout Madrid.
Francisco Gutiérrez died between 1668 and May 1670, when his wife Doña Clara de Tovar declared herself a widow after dealing with some financial matters.
