1664 (ca.), Juan de Pareja, Portrait of Jose Rates -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: Early writers insisted on Pareja's skills as a portraitist. His first biographer, Antonio Palomino, singled out for praise a portrait of "José Ratés, an architect at court." In Pareja's time, architects were responsible for designing the complex altarpieces typical of Spanish Baroque churches; the drawn plan and cross section on the table at lower left probably describe such a structure. In 1664 Pareja received payments for six months of work in the royal chapel of San Isidro in Madrid's church of San Andrés, where Ratés was part of a prestigious team of artists and artisans. Pareja's portrayal of this important figure in his professional network displays his dexterity at conveying subtle light effects and describing carefully observed incidental details, such as the tattered leather along the table edge.
1664 (ca.), Juan de Pareja, Portrait of Jose Rates -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: Early writers insisted on Pareja's skills as a portraitist. His first biographer, Antonio Palomino, singled out for praise a portrait of "José Ratés, an architect at court." In Pareja's time, architects were responsible for designing the complex altarpieces typical of Spanish Baroque churches; the drawn plan and cross section on the table at lower left probably describe such a structure. In 1664 Pareja received payments for six months of work in the royal chapel of San Isidro in Madrid's church of San Andrés, where Ratés was part of a prestigious team of artists and artisans. Pareja's portrayal of this important figure in his professional network displays his dexterity at conveying subtle light effects and describing carefully observed incidental details, such as the tattered leather along the table edge.