Prince Philip Prospero Portrait Oil Painting on Linen After Diego Velazquez 32"

Description

Late 20th century portrait oil painting on burlap canvas after a work depicting the infant Prince Philip Prospero, originally painted in 1659 by Diego Velazquez. The painting depicts Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias (Madrid, November 20, 1657 - Madrid, November 1, 1661), the short lived heir to the Spanish crown, who died aged only 3 years old. He was the third son and the first from the marriage of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria. In this portrait, the child is standing, he wears a dress typical of toddlers, while he rests his right arm on an armchair, which seems to grant him more compassion than majesty, since his health was precarious as evidenced by the amulets that he carries. On the chair, at the left, there is a lapdog, whose watery look accentuates the melancholy of the scene. The subject of the painting is located in a room, and in the background there is an open door through which light enters. To the right there is a stool with a cushion on which a hat is placed. Red tones predominate in the work and the dark tones of the background increase the contrast between the colors. Signed, lower right. Baroque gold scalloped foliate and acanthus composite frame.

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptised 6 June 1599 – 6 August 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He is generally considered one of the greatest artists in the history of Western art.

Condition

Several cracks, wear / finish loss to frame; heavy crazing to canvas.

Dimensions

27.75" x 2.5" x 31.5" / Sans Frame - 19.5" x 23.25" (W x D x H)