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Allegory Master of Alcira

Artist

Master of Alcira active in and around Valencia in the first half of the 16th century

Culture Spanish
Date ca. 1545–1550
Object type painting
Medium, technique oil on oak
Dimensions

with original frame: 44.5 × 77.5 cm

Inventory number 765
Collection Old Master Paintings
On view Museum of Fine Arts, First Floor, European Art 1250-1600, Gallery XII

This bizarre scene, which seems at first sight to be shrouded in mystery, can be deciphered with the help of the words written on the banderole winding along the bottom right edge of the painting: “foolish are those who stubbornly argue without a breath of sense”.
The painter turned this extraordinary subject into a dynamic composition. The three male figures on the right – Obstinacy, Deceit and Complacency – appear to be trying to evade the four female figures on the left – Profligacy, Pleasure, Prosperity and Negligence. Complacency is stamping on a dragon, the symbol of Precaution. At their feet flows the river of Love. In the centre, standing as a safe haven, is the Tree of Sense; looking down from its branches are Cupid, balancing on a golden ring, and the four virtues: Volition, Memory, Sense and Understanding. The coat of arms affixed to the tree trunk indicates that the commissioner was a member of the Dominican order. This is corroborated by the message in the painting, which reflects the order’s creed, that reason must prevail over passions and desires.

References

Pigler, Andor, Katalog der Galerie Alter Meister, 1-2. Museum der Bildenden Künste, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1967, p. 22-23.

Nyerges, Éva, Spanish Paintings, A Szépművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményei/The Collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, 2008, p. 58-59, no. 22.

This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.

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