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

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 Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

. Coello is considered the last great Spanish painter of the 17th century. The son of Faustino Coello, a famous Portuguese

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, he was a

court painter A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

for Charles II. He worked on many churches and public buildings in

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 ...

, with his most famous work being in the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, 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 us ...

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...

, which is filled with portraits of priests and courtiers.

Life and work

Claudio Coello was of Portuguese parents, but was born in Madrid in 1642. There, he was instructed in art by

Francisco Rizi Francisco Rizi, or Francisco Ricci de Guevara (9 April 1614 – 2 August 1685) was a Spanish painter of Italian ancestry. Biography He was born in Madrid. His father, Antonio Ricci, was an Italian painter, originally from Ancona, who had co ...

, and while still in that school, made an altarpiece for San Plácido at Madrid. His acquaintance with the court painter,

Juan Carreño de Miranda Juan Carreño de Miranda (25 March 1614 — 3 October 1685) was a Spanish painter of the Baroque period. Biography Born in Avilés in Asturias, his father was a painter with the same name, Juan Carreño de Miranda. His family moved to Madrid in ...

, allowed 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 List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

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

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of clas ...

, and

van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of Frans van Dyck, a wealt ...

. His friendship with José Jiménez Donoso, under whom he studied in Rome, was not less advantageous for him. In conjunction with Jiménez Donoso, he painted frescoes in Madrid and Toledo and painted the

Triumphal Arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

for the entrance of the queen, Maria Louisa of Orleans. He became well-known from these paintings 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 Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Early l ...

was summoned to Spain, art fell gradually into decay. Many excellent examples of his work are to be seen in the churches and convents in Madrid,

Saragossa Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

, and

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

. But his principal work is the famous altarpiece in the sacristy of San Lorenzo in the Escorial, representing the Adoration of the Miraculous Host. It is an immense composition, requiring seven years of work. In the crowd of personages that form the procession, there are no less than fifty portraits, including those of the king and the principal figures 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 the grandeur of the subject. It is a very extraordinary performance, and holds its place even alongside the works of Titian and Rubens. The preference 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 in 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. 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 large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

Cartoons A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

, representing the ''Fable of Cupid and Psyche'', painted by Ant. Palomino. *Madrid,

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

. ''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).

. ''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 Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman province), Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced th ...

'' 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 Theological virtues are virtues associated in Christian theology and philosophy with salvation resulting from the grace of God. Virtues are traits or qualities which dispose one to conduct oneself in a morally good manner. Traditionally the theolo ...

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 Spanish Roman Catholics Painters from Madrid Court painters Catholic painters