Pedro de Orrente

PEDRO DE ORRENTE (Murcia, 1580 – Valencia, 1645).
“Portrait of a Gentleman.”
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Certificate by José María Quesada included.
Measurements: 79 x 66.5 cm; 97 x 89.5 cm (frame).
A long-bust portrait of a gentleman, characterized by great sobriety, set against a neutral background shrouded in semi-darkness against which the face stands out, directly illuminated by a warm light, enhanced by the large ruff around his neck. His bearded face stands out, as does the depth of his gaze, which lends maturity to the subject. In short, the work displays a realism in the face where the artist’s skill and virtuosity succeed in lending great verisimilitude to the subject’s features. The use of black, the ruff, and the position of the hand indicate that this is a depiction of a man of high status—perhaps a minister—and his gesture, with his hand on his chest, is a sign of self-assertion. Returning to the modeling of the face, it is worth noting the similarities with the self-portrait by Pedro Orrente, which belongs to the Prado Museum’s collection. In the words of Don José Gómez Frechina: “Of Pedro de Orrente’s ((1580–1645), only his Self-Portrait is known, which was mentioned in 1866 as part of the collection of the Dukes of Montpensier and donated by Basilio Alexiades Thymanakis—in 1975—to the Museo Nacional del Prado,”
Known as “the Spanish Bassano,” Pedro Orrente was a highly successful artist in his day, admired as a follower of the style of the famous Venetian family of artists, particularly in his series of Old Testament themes set against lush landscapes. He lived in several Spanish cities, moving at a very young age from his native Murcia to Toledo, where he was already living by 1600. While the Bassanos’ works enjoyed immense fame throughout Spain, the atmosphere in the Castilian city must have been particularly receptive to their style, as evidenced by the works of the finest masters who were active there. It is therefore not surprising that Orrente, who would travel to Italy shortly thereafter, made his way to Venice, where we find him as early as 1605. It is quite reasonable to assume he spent time in the studio of Leandro Bassano, whom Jusepe Martínez listed as his teacher. By 1607, he had returned to Spain and settled in Murcia. He continued to visit other Spanish cities, particularly Toledo and Valencia, though he must also have spent time in Madrid. During his stay in Venice, he not only must have learned the Bassanos’ painterly style but also adopted their conception of painting as a market-oriented activity. In this regard, his treatment of sacred themes as genre scenes was fundamental. These were, above all, lively series of biblical stories that delighted art lovers with their variety and dynamism, featuring a large number of figures set against landscapes and accompanied by all manner of animals and everyday objects. Works by Pedro Orrente are currently preserved at the Prado Museum, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Fine Arts Museums of Bilbao and Valencia, and the National Gallery of Denmark, among many others.