Antonio Ponce (c. 1608,

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

– November/December 1677,

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

) was a Spanish

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

painter who specialized in

still-life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or human-made (drinking glasses, books, ...

s and garlands.

Biography

He was the son of a servant in the household of Juan de Zúñiga, 1st Duke of Peñaranda."Pintores Vallisoletanos Olvidados: El bodegonista Antonio Ponce (1608-1677)"
@ ''Arte en Valladolid'' When he was only one month old (presumably following the Duke's death), his family moved to Madrid. In 1624, when his father died, he became an apprentice in the workshop of

Juan van der Hamen Juan van der Hamen y (Gómez de) León (baptized 8 April 1596 – 28 March 1631) was a Spanish painter, a master of still life paintings, also called bodegón, bodegones. Prolific and versatile, he painted allegories, landscapes, and large-scal ...

, who may have been related.Ponce, Antonio
in the "Enciclopedia online" @ the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

Upon completing his training, he married Francisca de Alfaro, Hamen's niece. In 1631, after Hamen's death, it is believed that, as a member of the family, he kept the workshop open and continued to paint in the same style, which has created difficulties with attribution although, after 1630, some of his works were signed. In 1633, he was among the painters whose workshops were raided by the government. Portraits of King Philip IV and the Royal Family were confiscated so they could be examined by

Vicente Carducho Vincenzio Carduccio (in Spanish language, Spanish, sometimes ''Vicencio'' or Vicente Carducho; 1576 or 1578–1638) was an Italians, Italian Italian painter, painter who spent his career in Habsburg Spain, Spain. Education and training ...

and

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptised 6 June 15996 August 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the Noble court, court of King Philip IV of Spain, Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He i ...

, to judge their quality and propriety. This resulted from complaints by local officials and members of the court that many painters possessed portraits which were ''no parecidos los más de ellos, y otros con hábitos indecentes'' (not like most of them and others with indecent habits). Apparently, nothing objectionable was found as, the following year, he became a member of the Painters' Guild. In 1637, documents indicate that he was working on ephemeral decorations for the arrival of the

Princess of Carignano The ''Princess of Carignano'' was a woman married to the Prince of Carignano of the House of Savoy. The list ends with Charles Albert, in 1831, after he became King of Sardinia. But the Queens of Sardinia and later Italy used the title "Princess of ...

and, a year later, creating decorations at the

Palacio del Buen Retiro Buen Retiro Palace (Spanish: ''Palacio del Buen Retiro'') in Madrid was a large palace complex designed by the architect (c. 1590–1660) and built on the orders of Philip IV of Spain as a secondary residence and place of recreation (hence its ...

, together with Francisco Barrera. By 1642, business seems to have fallen off, as he requested an appointment as Inspector of Weights and Measures. He worked with Barrera again in 1649, making preparations for the visit of Queen

Mariana of Austria Mariana or Maria Anna of Austria (24 December 1634 – 16 May 1696), was Queen of Spain from 1649 until the death of her husband Philip IV of Spain in 1665. Appointed regent for their infant son Charles II, she remained an influential figure un ...

. They were joined by the sculptor, and several gilders, who would produce ten golden figures of Kings and emperors. From then until his death, he is known only from the paintings he signed and a "Last Will and Testament", drawn up by him and his wife in 1657, although they were in good health and childless. A death certificate was issued in 1677. His wife survived him.

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External links

More works by Ponce
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Ponce, Antonio 1600s births 1677 deaths 17th-century Spanish painters Spanish still life painters

Biography

References

Further reading

External links