ANTONIO DEL CASTILLO Y SAAVEDRA (Córdoba, 1616 - 1668). "Rapture". Pen and brown ink on paper.

About Auction

Live

Córdoba: 2,000 Years of Art

By Setdart Auction House

Dec 21, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-12-21 07:30:00 2021-12-21 07:30:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Córdoba: 2,000 Years of Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/c-rdoba-2-000-years-of-art-8049
Setdart Auction House sofia@setdart.com

View Full Catalog (137)

• Lot Description
  ANTONIO DEL CASTILLO Y SAAVEDRA (Córdoba, 1616 - 1668). "Rapture". Pen and brown ink on paper. Presents inscription "Castillo", located in the lower left margin. Measurements: 14,5 x 10 cm; 37,5 x 28,5 cm (frame). The author has chosen a classic theme for this scene, it is true that it could be the abduction of Persephone, or Daphne, however the figure located in the lower right area of the composition invites us to think of a theme where several characters participate, as for example in the abduction of the Sabines. It is worth mentioning the great draftsmanship of Antonio del Castillo, which was praised by Palomino, who mentioned the great mastery of the author, in addition to reflecting a great abundance in his work as a draftsman. In the article that talks about the painter, written by Benito Navarrete also makes a special mention to Castillo's work as a draftsman; "He is the most important draftsman of the Spanish Golden Age for his versatility, inventiveness and quantity of preserved drawings, in addition to the sustained quality of them". Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra was the son of an Extremaduran painter from Llerena, Agustín del Castillo, whose work is little known, but whom Palomino describes as "an excellent painter". He was orphaned in 1626 and was educated by another painter of whom we have no news, Ignacio Aedo Calderón. At an unknown date he may have arrived in Seville -of which there is no effective proof-, where Palomino makes him a pupil of Zurbarán, which has been corroborated in view of the stylistic influence of the master from Extremadura in Castillo's work. In 1635 he was in Cordoba, where he married and settled permanently, becoming without discussion the most important artist of the city. There he produced religious altarpieces as well as portraits and medium-sized series. His work does not show any evolution, and he always kept away from the baroque novelties of other contemporary painters. If in the figures of saints he remains closer to strict naturalism, in the historical productions he tends to be more open, especially because of the ornamentation of architectures and landscapes with which he decorates them. Palomino, already classified among the landscape painters by Lázaro Díaz del Valle, praised his capacity for capturing nature, describing him as "an excellent landscape painter, for which he went out for a few days to walk, with the purpose of drawing, and copied some places from nature". This assertion of the treatise writer is interesting, as it shows Antonio del Castillo to be especially interested in capturing nature, both in landscapes and in everyday characters and animals.
• Shipping Info

  • In-house shipping available. Please inquire at admin@setdart.com.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 22.00 %