The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest

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The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest
Spanish: El caballero de la mano en el pecho
El caballero de la mano en el pecho.jpg
ArtistEl Greco
Yearc. 1580
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions81.8 cm × 65.8 cm (32.2 in × 25.9 in)
LocationMuseo del Prado, Madrid

The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest (also known as The Gentleman with His Hand at His Breast [1] or Gentleman with his Hand on his Chest; Spanish - El caballero de la mano en el pecho)[2] is an oil painting by El Greco.

Painted in Toledo around 1580, and on display at the Museo del Prado,[3] it is the most famous of a series of secular portraits of unknown gentlemen, all of them dressed in black and wearing white ruffs, against dark backgrounds.[1]

Some authors suggest it may be a portrait of Juan de Silva y Ribera, 3rd Marquis of Montemayor and warden of the Alcazar of Toledo.[3] The artist Rupert Shrive and the historian Alex Burghart have also argued that it may be a self-portrait.[4] A number of observations also point to Miguel de Cervantes as the subject, including the coincidence of Cervantes' age and the date of the portrait, the fact that the subject's left hand is concealed and that Cervantes had lost his arm fighting in the Battle of Lepanto,[5] as well as the resemblance to the unconfirmed portrait of Cervantes supposedly painted by Juan de Jáuregui.

References[]

  1. ^ a b Carney, Jo Eldridge (2001). Renaissance and Reformation: 1500-1620: a Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 175. ISBN 9780313305740. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  2. ^ Scholz-Hänsel, Michael (2004). El Greco. Taschen. p. 52. ISBN 9783822831717.
  3. ^ a b "On-line gallery: The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest". Museo del Prado (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  4. ^ Shrive, Rupert (18 February 2004). "Face to face with El Greco". The Times. UK: Times Newspapers Limited. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  5. ^ https://www.artehistoria.com/en/artwork/portrait-nobleman-his-hand-his-chest
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