Gabriel de la Corte

GABRIEL DE LA CORTE (Madrid, 1648 - 1694).
"Saint Barbara with a border of flowers".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has Repainting and restorations on the pictorial surface.
It has a XVII century frame with damage caused by xylophagous.
Measurements: 31,5 x 40 cm; 40 x 51,5 cm (frame).
This painting follows one of the compositional schemes that was most popular during the Spanish Baroque: the religious theme is surrounded by a garland of sensual flowers, whose prominence is not less than that of the central theme. The hand of Gabriel de la Corte is recognizable in the way of resolving the varied bouquets of cheerful colors, in which a dense brushstroke of brilliant pigment has been used. The chromatic juiciness of the floral piece advances rococo aesthetic solutions, which break symmetry and tend to horror vacui. The painter has frozen the moment of maximum maturity of the flower, prior to its decay. The enormous corollas dwarf the central image, which depicts Saint Barbara, who is portrayed holding the tower in one of her hands. The young woman is set against a dark background that highlights the thickness of the garland and the body of the protagonist. The freedom of execution and vigorous brushstroke are reminiscent of the work of the master from Madrid.
Specialized in the execution of vases, Gabriel de la Corte was the son of another painter from Madrid, Lucas de la Corte, although his paternity has been the subject of debate among important scholars such as Antonio Palomino and Cean Bermúdez. During his lifetime, De la Corte's success was scarce, which led him to eke out a meager living by painting at low prices and even completing the works of other artists by inserting flowers in his works. He was known for the use of an overloaded composition in which the freedom of the workmanship and the spontaneous and vigorous touch of the brush loaded with matter prevail. De la Corte's style is influenced by those of Arellano and anticipates the flower still lifes that, later on, will be crowded with complicated compositions on tremendously elaborated cartouches. Some important works by Gabriel de la Corte are preserved in the Prado Museum, among other important institutions.