Attributed to Mateo Orozco

Attributed to MATEO OROZCO (fl. 1634-1652)
"Abraham and the angels".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 170 x 99 cm; 190 x 119 cm (frame).
This work represents the episode known as the appearance of Mambré, narrated in chapter 18 of Genesis (1-5). In it, Yahweh and two angels (figures later interpreted as a prefiguration of the Trinity) appear to Abraham in the oak grove of Mamre, in human form. The patriarch welcomes these guests in his house and feeds them, and during the meal one of his guests reiterates to him that his wife Sarah will have a son a year later. This particular scene captures the moment when the three angels arrive at Abraham, who is on the ground kneeling before the angels, thus adopting a supplicant posture and accepting that they are his guests. The artist has placed the main subject in the background, since in the foreground we can see some young men, one of them asleep and the other shearing sheep.aesthetically the work is reminiscent of the painting of the master Mateo Orozco. Specifically, it is the palette, based on earthy and ochre tones, added to the way of presenting the figures and composing them, which is reminiscent of Orozco's painting. An example of this is the painting of Cain and Abel, belonging to the collection of the Duke of Hernani.

Little is known about the biography of Mateo Orozco, who is linked to his brother in the ornamental works of Santa María de El Paular, between 1634 and 1651. Aesthetically his work shows a great influence of Vicente Carducho, although he later evolved towards a freer and more personal aesthetic.