Workshop of BLAS DE LEDESMA (Documented in Granada between 1602 and 1614); first half of the XVII century. "Still life". Oil on canvas. Relined.

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Oct 20, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-10-20 07:30:00 2021-10-20 07:30:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : OLD MASTERS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/old-masters-7700
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• Lot Description
  Workshop of BLAS DE LEDESMA (Documented in Granada between 1602 and 1614); first half of the XVII century. "Still life". Oil on canvas. Relined. Presents repainting and damage. Size: 77 x 105.5 cm; 91 x 121.5 cm (frame). Baroque still life of symmetrical composition, which stands out for the abundance of food and animals that are presented on the table. The elements are arranged at various heights, creating a complex image, but at the same time very visual. The still life in Spain was one of the most characteristic genres and, due to its special peculiarities, it is clearly differentiated from the same theme in workshops in the rest of Europe. The term appeared already at the end of the 16th century, and stands out in this school for its austerity, in clear contrast with the Flemish sumptuousness, although with a series of influences from the latter and the Italian school. Sánchez Cotán's works were so successful that his style had numerous followers (Juan de Espinosa, Antonio Ponce, Juan van der Hamen y León, etc.). In this context, the Sevillian school contributed its own particularities, thanks, above all, to Velázquez and Zurbarán. Blas de Ledesma was one of the first Spanish artists to cultivate the still life. Although he is a very poorly documented artist, of whom only one signed work is preserved, we do know that in 1602 he was in Granada, working with Pedro de Raxis on the paintings of the dome that crowns the imperial staircase of the Monastery of Santa Cruz la Real. In fact, Pacheco praises him as a mural painter in his "Arte de la Pintura", and mentions him together with Pedro de Raxis and Antonio Mohedano as a follower of Giulio Aquili and Alejandro Mayner, who introduced the grotesques in the Alhambra Palace. In 1614 we find him documented again in Granada, drawing a plaster vault for the Mocárabes room of the Alhambra. He is also quoted as working in the cathedral with Miguel Cano. We know nothing more about his life until January 1616, when the Corpus Christi Brotherhood, to which he belonged, celebrated a mass for his soul, from which we deduce that he must have died at the end of 1615 or the beginning of the following year. We also know, however, that he was recognized as a painter of fruit bowls, as attested by Pedro Soto de Rojas, who dedicated some verses to him, comparing him to Zeuxis in his "Paraíso cerrado para muchos, jardines abiertos para pocos" (Paradise closed to many, gardens open to few) of 1652. To date we only know of one work signed by him that can be safely attributed to him, the "Still Life of Cherries" from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (USA). It is a still life that evidences the knowledge of Juan Sánchez Cotán (present in Granada since 1604), characterized by a rigorously geometric composition, with the objects on a table in front of a black background, meticulously worked with great detail.
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