Juan Pantoja de la Cruz Workshop

Workshop of JUAN PANTOJA DE LA CRUZ (Valladolid, ca. 1553 - Madrid, 1608).
"Portrait of a gentleman, possibly the III Duke of Osuna".
Oil on canvas. Relined in the nineteenth century.
It presents restorations in the pictorial surface.
It has a XIX century frame, following XVII century models.
Measurements: 197 x 109 cm; 219 x 130 cm (frame).
This painting, aesthetically close to the workshop of the master Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, represents with great probability the III Duke of Osuna, Spanish nobleman of the Golden Age. The work is characterized by its majestic representation, which highlights the dignity and power of the portrayed person, in accordance with the high rank he held in the court of the Austrias.
The character is dressed in black, a color typically associated with nobility and power at the time, with an elaborate lechuguilla collar, a symbol of status and refinement. The gold details of the costume add a touch of wealth and ostentation, without falling into excess. His posture, standing erect, conveys authority and control, while his left hand rests on a table covered with a green tapestry, a gesture that insinuates serenity and confidence. In her right hand she holds the hilt of a sword, a symbol of her military role and her ability to defend the interests of the monarchy.
To the right of the portrait is the count's coat of arms, in vibrant colors of red and black, accompanied by heraldic ornaments that reinforce the importance of his lineage. The dark background, a typical feature of Pantoja de la Cruz's style, serves to focus all attention on the main figure, eliminating distractions and highlighting his solemn character.
The portrait not only has a commemorative function, but also a propagandistic one. This type of work served to consolidate the public image of the nobles, projecting their power, nobility and loyalty to the crown. At a time when art and politics were deeply intertwined, paintings like this one were essential to perpetuate the legacy and memory of key historical figures in Hapsburg Spain.
Juan Pantoja de la Cruz must have moved to Madrid at a very young age, and there he trained in the workshop of Alonso Sánchez Coello, the leading court portraitist of the time. From him Pantoja inherited the tradition of the royal representation that he, in turn, had learned from his master Antonio Moro. After the death of his master in 1588, Pantoja began to paint independently, and became the court portraitist of the highest quality in the last years of the reign of Philip II and the first years of his successor. Between 1601 and 1606 he accompanied Philip III to Valladolid, when the court moved. With him he would probably form Bartolomé González and Rodrigo de Villandrando, the portraitists who worked the most for the court until the arrival of Velázquez. With his work, Pantoja perpetuated the iconographic formulas previously established in royal portraiture, which sought to convey an image of courtly majesty as well as the idea of the reigning dynasty. Thus, rather than portraying a specific person or his psychology, the idea was to capture a solemn and imposing effigy, surrounded by an august environment. Thus, he developed a precise detailing of Flemish roots in the rich costumes, meticulously described, and enriched the heritage of Antonio Moro with the Italian influence, well known at the Spanish court, of Titian and Sofonisba Anguissola. In parallel to his career as a portraitist, Pantoja developed a lesser known work as a religious painter, working mainly for clients in Madrid and Valladolid. He also undertook commissions of sacred subjects for royal sites, such as the paintings made in 1603 for the queen's oratory in the Royal Palace of Valladolid. In his religious work his style changed in part, and he showed himself to be more modern and permeable to new influences, especially those of the painters who came to Spain to work at El Escorial. Thus, we will see in these paintings a new interest in naturalism and hallmarks of light, reflecting what was being experimented in Italy in those years. We also know that Pantoja cultivated other genres, such as still life, miniature portraits and fresco painting, although no examples of these productions have reached our days. Pantoja de la Cruz is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Kunsthistorisches in Vienna, the Royal Collection in London, the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao.