Manolo de la Vega

MANOLO DE LA VEGA (Andalusia, late nineteenth century).
"Tavern scene".
Oil on canvas.
Signed "M. de la Vega".
Presents lack of polychrome in the gilding of the frame.
Measurements: 118 x 163 cm; 137 x 182 cm (frame).

Costumbrista scene impregnated of picaresque, results with a bold and juicy language. In the interior of a popular restaurant, two women wrapped in shawls of fine lace laugh under their breath when the man of the family reads the bill. His open mouth and wide eyes reveal that he was not expecting such a large sum. On an unconscious impulse, he clenches his fist around the handle of the dessert knife, while his daughter covers her mouth with her napkin to hide her glee and her mother fans herself, pretending to be absent-minded. The waiter, meanwhile, leans against the stone archway of the tavern's interior, and watches the scene suspiciously. In the background, by the fireplace, a group of strolling actors, one of them dressed as a harlequin, clink their wine glasses.