Claudio Coello (2 March 1642 – 20 April 1693) was a Spanish

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

. Coello is considered the last great Spanish painter of the 17th century. The son of Faustino Coello, a famous Portuguese sculptor, he was a court painter for Charles II. He worked on many churches and public buildings in Madrid, with his most famous work being in the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

of El Escorial, which is filled with portraits of priests and courtiers.

Life and work

Claudio Coello was of Portuguese parents, but was born at Madrid in 1642. He was there instructed in the art by Francisco Rizi, and executed while yet in that school an altar-piece for San Plácido at Madrid. His acquaintance with the court painter, Juan Carreño de Miranda, procured him the permission to visit the

royal collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

, where he made his greatest advance by studying the works of Titian,

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

, and van Dyck. His friendship with José Jiménez Donoso, under whom he studied at Rome, was not less advantageous for him. In conjunction with that artist he painted frescoes at Madrid and Toledo, and executed the Triumphal Arch for the entrance of the Queen, Maria Louisa of Orleans. By these paintings he became well known, and was employed by the Archbishop of Saragossa in 1683. He was made painter to Charles II, by whom he was employed in the Escorial.Coello was the last Spanish painter of eminence for some years, as from the time that Luca Giordano was summoned to Spain, the art sank gradually to its decay. Many excellent examples of his work are to be seen in the churches and convents in Madrid, Saragossa, and Salamanca. But his principal work is the famous altar-piece in the sacristy of San Lorenzo, in the Escorial, representing the 'Adoration of the Miraculous Host.' It is an immense composition, and occupied the painter seven years. In the crowd of personages that form the procession, are no less than fifty portraits, including those of the king and the principal persons of the court: it is painted with the utmost precision, yet in a bold and masterly style, and there is a majestic solemnity in the arrangement of the whole, which suits well to the grandeur of the subject. It is a very extraordinary performance, and holds its place even by the side of the works of Titian and Rubens. The preference which was given to Luca Giordano, who came to Madrid in 1692, in painting the grand staircase in the Escorial, mortified Coello so much that he died of vexation at Madrid in 1693. Coello etched three plates, viz. : — 'Christ on the Cross, with the Virgin, St. Augustine, and St. Monica,' and the portraits of Charles II and

his Mother ''His Mother'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ire ...

. He was the instructor of Sebastián Muñoz and Teodoro Ardmans.

Selected works

* Budapest Gallery. ''St. Joseph with the Virgin and Child.'' *Madrid. S. Placido. An altar-piece. *Madrid,

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

. Cartoons, representing the ''Fable of Cupid and Psyche'', painted by Ant. Palomino. *Madrid, Museum. ''Assumption of the Virgin'' (Two), ''Portrait of Charles II. of Spain'', ''St. Rosa of Lima'', and ''The Apotheosis of St. Augustin''. * Munich. Gallery. ''St. Peter of Alcantara''. * Petersburg. Hermitage. ''His own Portrait'' and ''The Magdalen''. *Saragossa. Augustinian Church. The frescoes in the cupola. *Madrid (province). El Escorial. ''The Adoration of the Host''. (His chef-d'oeuvre.) *Saint Catherine of Alexandria Dominating the Emperor Maxentius

Gallery

File:Claudio coello-anunciacion.jpg, ''The Annunciation'' (1668) File:Claudio coello-jesus niño-prado.jpg, ''Boy Jesus at the Door of the Temple'' (1660) File:Claudio Coello - Holy Family - WGA5131.jpg, ''Holy Family'' File:Claudio coello-inmaculada-prado.jpg, ''The Immaculate Conception'' File:Claudio coello-san antonio de padua.jpg, ''Saint Anthony of Padua'' File:Sta Rosa de Lima por Claudio Coello.jpg, ''Saint Rose of Lima'' File:Claudio Coello - Saint Michael the Archangel - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Saint Michael the Archangel'' File:Triunfo de San Agustín.jpg, ''The Triumph of Saint Augustine'' File:SaintDominic.jpg, ''Saint Dominic de Guzmán'' (1685) File:Claudio Coello-la virgen el niño virtudes teologales-prado.jpg, ''The Virgin with the Child between the Theological Virtues and Saints'' (1669)

References

External links

Claudio Coello on Artcyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coello, Claudio 1642 births 1693 deaths Spanish Baroque painters 17th-century Spanish painters Spanish male painters Spanish people of Portuguese descent Artists from Madrid Court painters Catholic painters