Jusepe de Ribera (1591 – 1652) was a painter and

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniqu ...

, who along with

Francisco de Zurbarán Francisco de Zurbarán ( , ; baptized 7 November 1598 – 27 August 1664) was a Spanish painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes. Zurbarán gained the nickname "Spanis ...

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( , ; late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporar ...

, and the singular

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of the ...

, are regarded as the major artists of

Spanish Baroque painting Spanish Baroque painting refers to the style of painting which developed in Spain throughout the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century. The style appeared in early 17th century paintings, and arose in response to Mannerist distort ...

. Referring to a series of Ribera exhibitions held in the late 20th century, Philippe de Montebello wrote "If Ribera's status as the undisputed protagonist of Neapolitan painting had ever been in doubt, it was not longer. Indeed, to many it seemed that Ribera emerged from these exhibitions as not simply the greatest Neapolitan artist of his age but one of the outstanding European masters of the seventeenth century."Pérez-Sánchez, Alfonso E., and Nicola Spinosa. 1992.
Jusepe de Ribera 1519–1652
'. The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York. 290 pp, Jusepe de Ribera () has also been referred to as José de Ribera, Josep de Ribera, and Lo Spagnoletto ("the Little Spaniard") by his contemporaries, early historians, and biographers. Ribera created

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

s, including traditional Biblical subjects and episodes from

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of ...

, but he is perhaps best known for his numerous views of

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

, which at times are brutal scenes depicting bound saints and

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, σειληνός ), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exa ...

s as they are flayed or crucified in agony. Less familiar are his occasional, but accomplished portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. Nearly half of his surviving work consist of half length portraits of workers and beggars, often older individuals in ragged clothes, posing as various philosophers, saints, apostles, and allegorical figures. Ribera's paintings, particularly his early work, are characterized by stark realism using a

chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrast (vision), contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts ...

tenebrous In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, "monsters" are generally the antagonists which players must fight and defeat to progress in the game. Since the game's Dungeons & Dragons (1974), first edition in 1974, a bestiary was inc ...

style. His later work embraced a greater use of color, softer light, and more complex compositions, although he never entirely abandoned his

Caravaggisti The Caravaggisti (or the "Caravagesques") were stylistic followers of the late 16th-century Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio. His influence on the new Baroque style that eventually emerged from Mannerism was profound. Caravaggio never establis ...

leanings. Very little is known about the first 20 years of his life and there are many gaps concerning his later life and career as well. He was baptized on February 17, 1591 in Játiva, Spain, his father identified as a shoemaker. He is not recorded again until 1611, when records show he was paid for a painting (now lost) for a church in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

, Italy. Documents show he was a member of the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its f ...

in Rome by October of 1613 and living in a house in the

Via Margutta Via Margutta is a narrow street in the centre of Rome, near Piazza del Popolo, accessible from Via del Babuino in the ancient Campo Marzio neighborhood also known as ''"the foreigner's quarter"''. Mount Pincio is nearby. Via Margutta orig ...

in 1615–16, at that time known as "the foreigner's quarter", apparently living a bohemian life with his brothers and other artists. Anecdotal accounts written at the time indicate he quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding painter after arriving in Rome and was making great profits, but also noted his laziness and extravagant spending. He moved to Naples in late 1616, under Spanish rule at that time, and in November married Caterina Azzolino, the daughter of Sicilian painter,

Giovanni Bernardino Azzolini Giovanni Bernardino Azzolini (c. 1572 – 12 December 1645) was an Italian painter and sculptor who continued painting in a late- Mannerist style, mainly active in Naples and Genoa. He is also known by Azzolino or Mazzolini or Asoleni. Life an ...

. There he remained for the rest of his life, setting up a workshop with many pupils, securing commissions, and establishing an international reputation. In 1626 he received the

Cross of the Order of Christ The Cross of the Order of Christ ( Portuguese: ''Cruz da Ordem de Cristo''), also known as the Cross of Christ (''Cruz de Cristo'') or the Portuguese Cross (''Cruz Portuguesa''), is a cross symbol of Portugal, originating in the Portuguese Order ...

from

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

. His health began to deteriorate in 1643 and his productivity declined from that time on, and by 1649 he was experiencing financial hardships as well. However, when his health permitted, he continued to produced several fine paintings into the last year of his life.National Gallery of Art, Washington D. C. (www.nga.gov):
Jusepe de Ribera, Biography
'. (accessed December 10, 2022Lassaigne, Jacques. 1952. ''Spanish Painting: From Velazquez to Picasso''. Editions D'Art Albert Skira, Geneva, Switzerland 148 pp. (see pages 24–30, & 141)

Life

Early biographies

His Italian biographers have many tales to tell of Ribera's stormy, picaresque career, and picture "Lo Spagnoletto's" life as an endless series of professional intrigues and rivalries, attempted poisonings due to ''gelosia di mestiere'', conspiracies and brawls, triumphs and adversities, dramatic love affairs. Alterations of dark patches and dazzling light, glooms and raptures – just as in his paintings. Perhaps we would do better to keep to the records and established dates of Ribera's life."
Jacques Lassaigne Jacques Lassaigne (Born: Paris, December 17, 1911- Died: February 10, 1983) was a French art historian, an art critic who served as president of the International Association of Art Critics from 1966 to 1969, and a museum curator acting as chief c ...
(1952)

Biographers of Ribera in the 17th and 18th century, including Bernardo De Dominici, De Dominici, Bernardo. 1742 – 45. ''Vite de' pittori, scultori, ed architti napoletani'' 'Lives of Neapolitan Painters, Sculptors and Architects'' Vols. I – III. Naples. Carlo Celano,Celano, Carlo. 1692. ''Notizie del bello, dell'antico, e del curioso della cittá di Napoli'' 'News of the Beautiful, the Ancient, and the Curious of the City of Naples'' Naples. and Palomino de Castro y Velasco Palomino de Castro Y Velasco, Acisclo Antonio. 1715 – 1724. ''El museo pictórico y Escala óptica'' 'The Pictorial Museum and Optical Scale'' Vols. I – III. Madrid. produced a substantial amount of information on the artist's life that is now known to be erroneous. Much of this misinformation was pervasive well into the 20th century and is occasionally still repeated today. It was long believed he was born in 1587, De Dominici saying he was from

Gallipoli, Apulia Gallipoli (; scn, label=Salentino, Caḍḍìpuli ; ) is a southern Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce, in Apulia. In 2014, it had a population of 31,862 and is one of the towns where the Greek dialect Griko is spoken. Ge ...

while Celano stated he was from

Lecce Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the provinc ...

. One said he descended from nobility, and another identified his father as a Spanish army office. Research and documents emerged in the 20th century have proven these false.Finaldi, Gabriele. 1992. ''A Documentary Look at the Life and Work of Jusepe de Ribera''. pages 3–8: IN Pérez-Sánchez, Alfonso E., and Nicola Spinosa. ''Jusepe de Ribera 1519–1652''. The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York. 290 pp, Milicua, José. 1992. ''From Játiva to Naples''. pages 9 – 17: IN, Pérez-Sánchez, Alfonso E., and Nicola Spinosa. ''Jusepe de Ribera 1519–1652''. The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York. 290 pp, Other episodes and events in Ribera's life remain unverified. Early accounts (still repeated today) state that Ribera began his art education in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, where he was a pupil of

Francisco Ribalta Francesc Ribalta (2 June 1565 – 12 January 1628), also known as ''Francisco Ribaltá'' or ''de Ribalta'', was a Spanish painter of the Baroque period, mostly of religious subjects. Biography He was born in Solsona, Lleida. Although his fir ...

. Although this is entirely plausible, there is no real evidence to confirm it. De Dominici's biography described Ribera as an egotistical and condescending individual of reprehensible behavior. He was reputed to have been chief of the so-called Cabal of Naples, his abettors being a Greek painter,

Belisario Corenzio Belisario Corenzio ( el, Βελισσάριος Κορένσιος 1558–1646) was a Greek- Italian painter, active in Venice and Naples. He is one of few Greek painters that did not belong to the Cretan Renaissance like his contemporaries of t ...

and the Neapolitan

Giambattista Caracciolo Giovanni Battista Caracciolo (also called Battistello) (1578–1635) was an Italian artist and important Neapolitan follower of Caravaggio. He was a member of the murderous Cabal of Naples, with Belisario Corenzio and Giambattista Caracciolo, wh ...

, however there are no real documents or records to substantiate (or discredit) this other than these early biographies. De Dominici's biography has been called "barefaced lies" by one modern historian,Prota-Giurleo, Ulisse. 1953. ''Pittori napoletani del Seicento'' 'Neapolitan Painters of the Seventeenth Century'' Fausto Fiorentino-Libraio, Naples. 174 (page 97). and "a caricature" by another, although the later noted a critical examination of it can still provide some insights.

Early Life (1591 – 1616)

Little information is available on Ribera's youth. It was as recent as 1923 that the year of his birth was positively established. He was baptized on February 17, 1591 in Játiva, Spain, about 60 km. (37 mi.) south of Valencia. His parents were identified as Simón and Margarita (née Curo) Ribera, married in 1588, and his father's occupation a shoemaker. Other baptismal records show the couple had two other sons, Jerónimo (b.1588) and Juan (b.1593).Viñes, Gonzalo J., 1923. ''La verdadera partida de bautismo del Españoleto y otros datos de familia''. Archivo de arte valenciano, (9): 18-24. A gap of 20 years follows his baptism record, including information regarding his childhood, education, teachers, and when he left Spain. Ribera's move to the Italian Peninsula and his training as an artist have been subjects of interest to art historians in recent decades. His 18th century biographer Palomino wrote that he apprenticed with the Spanish painter

in Valencia, and this was generally accepted by historians into the mid to late 20th century, although no proof of this connection exists. Recently historians have begin to question this scenario. There is some evidence to suggest Ribera might have been in Italy as early as 1608-1609 (age 17 or 18), or even as early as 1605-1606 (age 14 or 15).Galleria nazionale d'arte antica di palazzo Corsini: Art/Masterpeices
Jusepe Ribera Known as Spagnoletto (Játiva 1591 - Naples 1652), Peter's Denial ca. 1615-16
'. (accessed December 20, 2022) Marriage records show that his father, Simón, married a second time in 1597 when Jusepe was six years old, and a third time in 1607 when he was 16, suggesting some disruption and lack of continuity in Ribera youth. Recent decades have also shed light on Ribera's presumed teacher Francisco Ribalta, whose early works exhibit a

mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...

style, and is now known to have only reached his final and mature period, reflecting a realist and

Caravaggesque Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of h ...

current about 1614, at which point Ribera is already documented working in Italy. Some historians also believe Ribera's drawing technique shows a thoroughly Italian education and influences. Ribera started living in Rome no later than 1612, and is documented as having joined the

Academy of Saint Luke The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fi ...

by 1613. He lived for a time in the

, and almost certainly associated with other

who flocked to Rome at that time, such as

Gerrit van Honthorst Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: ''Gerrit van Honthorst''; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickname ''Gherardo delle Notti ...

and

Hendrick ter Brugghen Hendrick Jansz ter Brugghen (or Terbrugghen) (1588 – 1 November 1629) was a Dutch painter of genre scenes and religious subjects. He was one of the Dutch followers of Caravaggio – the so-called '' Utrecht Caravaggisti''. Along with Gerrit v ...

, among other Utrecht painters active in Rome by 1615.

Neapolitan period

The

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

was part of the Spanish Empire during Ribera's lifetime, and was ruled by a succession of Spanish Viceroys. Ribera moved to Naples permanently in 1616. In 1616, Ribera moved to

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, in order to avoid his creditors (according to

Giulio Mancini Giulio Mancini (21 February 1559 – 22 August 1630) was a seicento physician, art collector, art dealer and writer on a range of subjects. His writings on contemporary artists like Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci remain one of our earliest sour ...

, who described him as living beyond his means despite a high income). In November, 1616, Ribera married Caterina Azzolino, the daughter of a Sicilian-born Neapolitan painter, Giovanni Bernardino Azzolino, whose connections in the Neapolitan art world helped to establish Ribera early on as a major figure whose presence was to have a lasting impact on the art of the city. His Spanish nationality aligned him with the small Spanish governing class in the city, as well as with important collectors and art dealers from Spanish

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

. At this point Ribera began to sign his work as "Jusepe de Ribera, español" ("Jusepe de Ribera, Spaniard"). He was able to quickly attract the attention of the Viceroy,

Pedro Téllez-Girón, 3rd Duke of Osuna Pedro Téllez-Girón, 3rd Duke of Osuna (17 February 1574 – 20 September 1624) was a Spanish nobleman and politician. He was the 2nd Marquis of Peñafiel, 7th Count of Ureña, Spanish Viceroy of Sicily (1611–1616), Viceroy of Naples (1616–1 ...

, another recent arrival, who gave him a number of major commissions, which showed the influence of

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religi ...

. Few paintings survive from 1620 to 1626, but this was the period in which most of his best prints were produced. These were at least partly an attempt to attract attention outside of Ribera's Neapolitan circles. His career picked up in the late 1620s, and he was accepted as the leading painter in Naples thereafter. He received the Order of Christ of Portugal from

in 1626. Although Ribera never returned to Spain, many of his paintings were taken back by returning members of the Spanish governing class, such as the Duke of Osuna, and his etchings were brought to Spain by dealers. His influence can be seen in the works of Velázquez, Murillo, and most other Spanish painters of the period. He has been characterized as selfishly protecting his prosperity, and is reputed to have been chief of the so-called Cabal of Naples, his abettors being a Greek painter,

and the Neapolitan

. It is said this group aimed to monopolize Neapolitan art commissions, using intrigue, sabotage of work in progress, and even personal threats of violence to frighten away outside competitors such as

Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci (; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother and cousin, Annibale was one of the progenitors, if not founders of a leading strand of t ...

, the

Cavalier d'Arpino Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called ''Cavaliere d'Arpino'', because he was created ''Cavaliere di Cristo'' by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patronize ...

Reni Reni may refer to: Places * Reni, Alwar, Alwar district, Rajasthan, India * Reni, Chamoli (also ''Raini''), Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, devastated by the 2021 Uttarakhand flood * Reni, Churu, Churu district, Rajasthan, India * Reni, U ...

, and

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoem ...

. All of them were invited to work in Naples, but found the place inhospitable. The cabal disbanded at the time of Domenichino's death in 1641. Ribera's pupils included Hendrick de Somer,

Francesco Fracanzano Francesco Fracanzano (1612–1656) was an Italian painter who participated in the Masaniello rebellion. Francanzano was the brother of Cesare Fracanzano, a pupil of Spagnoletto and the master of Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 –1673) is ...

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 and Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Ea ...

, and

Bartolomeo Passante Bartolomeo Passante or Bassante (1618 – 1648) was an Italian painter of the Baroque era active in Naples. Life He was born in Brindisi. He reached Naples in 1629, where he probably studied under Jusepe de Ribera (according to Bernardo De Dom ...

. He was followed by

Giuseppe Marullo Giuseppe Marullo (died 1685, Naples) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active near his natal city of Orta di Atella.Agostino Beltrano, Paolo Domenico Finoglio,

Giovanni Ricca Giovanni Ricca (1603 - circa 1656) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period in Naples and Southern Italy. Little is known about the painter. He trained as a follower or pupil of Giuseppe Ribera. The painting of ''Santa Caterina of Alessandria ...

, and

Pietro Novelli Pietro Novelli (March 2, 1603 – August 27, 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Palermo. Also known as ''il Monrealese'' or ''Pietro "Malta" Novelli'' to distinguish him from his father, Pietro Antonio Novelli ...

.Jusepe Ribera
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center ...

Later life

Around 1644, his daughter married a Spanish nobleman in the administration, who died soon after. From 1644, Ribera's ill health greatly reduced his ability to work, although his workshop continued to produce works under his direction. In 1647–1648, during the

Masaniello Masaniello (, ; an abbreviation of Tommaso Aniello; 29 June 1620 – 16 July 1647) was an Italian fisherman who became leader of the 1647 revolt against the rule of Habsburg Spain in the Kingdom of Naples. Name and place of birth Until rece ...

uprising against Spanish rule, he and his family took refuge in the palace of the Viceroy. In 1651 he sold his home, and was in dire financial straits by the time of his death in September 1652.

Work

His early style was influenced by the study of the Spanish and Venetian masters as well as

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

and

Correggio Antonio Allegri da Correggio (August 1489 – 5 March 1534), usually known as just Correggio (, also , , ), was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Italian Renaissance, who was responsible for some of the most vigorous and sens ...

. His subject matter was notoriously gruesome, portraying human cruelty and violence with startling naturalism. In the early 1630s his style shifted from stark

tenebrism Tenebrism, from Italian ' ("dark, gloomy, mysterious"), also occasionally called dramatic illumination, is a style of painting using especially pronounced chiaroscuro, where there are violent contrasts of light and dark, and where darkness become ...

to a more diffused lighting, as seen in ''

The Clubfoot ''The Clubfoot'' (also known as ''The Club-Footed Boy'') is a 1642 oil on canvas painting by Jusepe de Ribera. It is housed in the Musée du Louvre in Paris (part of the La Caze bequest of 1869), and was painted in Naples. Art historian Ellis Wa ...

'' of 1642. Some major works include ''

Saint Januarius Januarius ( ; la, Ianuarius; Neapolitan and it, Gennaro), also known as , was Bishop of Benevento and is a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, lat ...

Emerging from the Furnace'' in the cathedral of Naples; the ''Descent from the Cross'' in the Certosa, Naples; the ''Adoration of the Shepherds'' (1650) in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

; the ''

Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew The ''Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew'' is a painting by Jusepe de Ribera conserved at the National Art Museum of Catalonia. Description The painting illustrates martyrdom and physical torment. The almost naked apostle Bartholomew looks at us help ...

'' in the

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (, English: "National Art Museum of Catalonia"), abbreviated as MNAC, is a museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

; and the ''Pieta'' in the sacristy of San Martino, Naples. His mythologic subjects are often as violent as his martyrdoms, the most famous being his renditions of ''Apollo and

Marsyas In Greek mythology, the satyr Marsyas (; grc-gre, Μαρσύας) is a central figure in two stories involving music: in one, he picked up the double oboe (''aulos'') that had been abandoned by Athena and played it; in the other, he challenged ...

,'' now in Brussels and Naples, and his ''

Tityos Tityos or Tityus (Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek: Τιτυός) was a Giant (mythology), giant from Greek mythology. Family Tityos was the son of Elara (mythology), Elara; his father was Zeus. He had a daughter named Europa (Greek myth), Europa ...

'', now in the

Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

. The

owns fifty-six paintings and another six attributed to Ribera, alongside eleven drawings, such as ''

Jacob’s Dream ''Jacob's Dream'' ( es, El sueño de Jacob) is a 1639 oil-on-canvas painting by the Spanish Tenebrist painter José de Ribera (''Lo Spagnoletto''). Description It measures and is in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Analysis Jacob appears as a ...

'' (1639); the

contain four of his paintings and seven drawings; the

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

owns three; and The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando owns a nice ensemble of five paintings including ''The Assumption of Mary Magdalene'' from

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial ( es, Monasterio y Sitio de El Escorial en Madrid), or Monasterio del Escorial (), is a historical residence of the King of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, ...

, and an early ''Ecce Homo'' or ''The head of St John the Baptist''. He executed several fine male portraits and a self-portrait. ''Saint Jerome Writing'' in the Prado now has been credited to him by Gianni Papi, a

expert. He was an important

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

—indeed, the most significant Spanish printmaker before

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

—producing about forty prints, nearly all in the 1620s. '' The Martyrdom of Saint Philip'' (1639; often described as

Saint Bartholomew Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

due to overlapping iconography) ee ''Museo del Prado, Catálogo de las pinturas'', 1996, p. 315, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Madrid, /ref> is in the

. Nearly half of Ribera's entire oeuvre consist of half-length representations of saints, apostles, philosophers, scientists, and allegorical figures. The models for these paintings were the natives from the streets of Rome and Naples, typically humble people such as fishermen, dockworkers, elderly people, and beggars, often characterized by wrinkled skin and ragged clothes, painted with a raw visual intensity.Spinosa, Nicola. 2006. ''Ribera: The Complete Work''. Electa Napoli.

Legacy

Interno di cucina con testa di caprone - Ribera

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 –1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19th ...

and

were his most distinguished followers, who may have been his pupils; others were also

Giovanni Do Giovanni Do (before 1617 – ?1656) was a Spanish painter, active in Naples. He was born in the town of Xàtiva, near Valencia in Spain. By 1626, Giovanni Do was in Naples, and that year he married Grazia, sister of Pacecco De Rosa; the marria ...

, the Flemish painter Hendrick de Somer (known in Italy as 'Enrico Fiammingo'),

Michelangelo Fracanzani Cesare Fracanzano (1605-1651), a Neapolitan painter who flourished in the 17th century, was a pupil of Spagnoletto. Born in Bisceglie, in Apulia by Alessandro, a nobleman originally from Verona and a mannerist painter. His pictorial style was ...

, and

Aniello Falcone Aniello Falcone (15 November 16001656) was an Italian Baroque painter, active in Naples and noted for his painted depictions of battle scenes. Some sources refer to him as ''Ancillo Falcone''. Biography Born in Naples the son of a tradesman, h ...

, who was the first considerable painter of battle-pieces. Ribera's work remained in fashion after his death, largely through the adoption of his hyper-naturalistic depictions of violence in the paintings of pupils like

.Johnson, Paul. ''Art: A New History'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003. The gradual rehabilitation of his international reputation was aided by exhibitions in Princeton in 1973, of his prints and drawings, and of works in all media in London at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purp ...

in 1982 and in New York at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 100 ...

in 1992. Since then his ''oeuvre'' has gained more attention from critics and scholars. In 2006, a

catalogue raisonné A ''catalogue raisonné'' (or critical catalogue) is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media. The works are described in such a way that they may be reliably identified ...

of Ribera's work was published, written by the former director of the

Museo di Capodimonte Museo di Capodimonte is an art museum located in the Palace of Capodimonte, a grand Bourbon palazzo in Naples, Italy. The museum is the prime repository of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, with several important works from other Ital ...

in Naples, Nicola Spinosa.

Gallery

Oil paintings

History painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

s (oil on canvas unless noted otherwise) Saint Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is c ...

and the Angel'', 1626, 262 x 164 cm.,

File:Jusepe de Ribera - Martyrdom of Saint Andrew - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Martyrdom of

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Pete ...

'', 1628. 209 x 183 cm., Museum of Fine Arts Budapest File:Sileno ebrio, por José de Ribera.jpg, ''Drunken

Silenus In Greek mythology, Silenus (; grc, Σειληνός, Seilēnós, ) was a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus. He is typically older than the satyrs of the Dionysian retinue ('' thiasos''), and sometimes considerably older, in which c ...

'', 1626, 185 x 229 cm., Museo di Capodimonte File:Ixion by Jusepe de Ribera (1632), 220 x 301 cm., Museo del Prado.jpg,

Ixion In Greek mythology, Ixion ( ; el, Ἰξίων, ''gen''.: Ἰξίονος means 'strong native') was king of the Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly. Family Ixion was the son of Ares, or Leonteus, or Antion and Perimele, or the n ...

, 1632, 220 x 301 cm.,

Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from th ...

File:Ribera-ticio.jpg, ''

'', 1632, 227 x 301 cm., Museo del Prado File:José de Ribera - La Piedad.jpg, ''

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture Sculpture is the branc ...

'', 1633, 157 x 210 cm.,

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (in Spanish, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (), named after its founder), or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Prado Museum on one of the city's main boulevards. ...

File:Ribera - La Trinidad, P001069 (cropped).jpg,

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...

, 1635-36, 226 x 118, cm., Museo del Prado File:José de Ribera - Asunción de la Magdalena - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Assumpion of

Mary Magdalen Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

'', 1636, 256 x 193 cm.,

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (RABASF; ), located on the Calle de Alcalá in the heart of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery. A public law corporation, it is integrated together with other Spanish royal acad ...

File:José de Ribera - Apollo Flaying Marsyas - WGA19374.jpg, ''

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

Flaying

'', 1637, 202 x 255 cm.,

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België) are a group of art museums in Brussels, Belgium. They include six museums: the Oldmasters Mus ...

File:José de Ribera 058.jpg, ''Pietà'', 1637, 264 x 170 cm., National Museum of San Martino File:José de Ribera 048.jpg, ''

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam ...

's Dream'', 1639, 179 × 233 cm., Museo del Prado File:José de Ribera 054.jpg, ''The Martyrdom of Saint Philip'', 1639, 214 × 234 cm., Museo del Prado File:San Pablo Ermitaño, por José de Ribera.jpg, '' Saint Paul the Hermit'', 1640, 143 × 143 cm., Museo del Prado File:Napoli-Ribera-San-Gennaro.jpg, ''

San Gennaro Januarius ( ; la, Ianuarius; Neapolitan and it, Gennaro), also known as , was Bishop of Benevento and is a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, later ...

Emerging Unarmed from the Furnace'', 1641-47 copper panel, 320 x 200 cm.,

Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius The Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, or the ''Reale cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro'', is a chapel located in the Cathedral of Naples, Italy, and dedicated to St. Januarius, patron saint of the city. This is the most lavishly ...

File:José de Ribera - Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Martyrdom of

'', 1644, 202 x 153 cm.,

File:Testa del Battista - Jusepe de Ribera (Naples).jpg, ''Head of

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

''. 1646, 66 × 78 cm.,

Museo Civico Filangieri The Museo Civico Filangieri ("Filangieri civic museum") is an eclectic collection of artworks, coins, and books assembled in the nineteenth century by Gaetano Filangieri, prince of Satriano, who gave it to the city of Naples as a museum. It is h ...

File:La Sagrada Familia, por José de Ribera.jpg, ''The

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first ...

with

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim co ...

and

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, w ...

'', 1648, 209.6 x 154.3 cm.,

Allegories, philosophers, apostles, and saints Wadsworth Atheneum The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School la ...

Life

Early biographies

Early Life (1591 – 1616)

Neapolitan period

Later life

Work

Legacy

Gallery

Oil paintings

Drawings

Prints: 1616–1630

External links