Antonio González Velázquez's Circle

ANTONIO GONZÁLEZ VELÁZQUEZ Circle (Madrid, 1723 - 1793)
"Saint Anthony in Glory.
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 53,5 x 41 cm.
Devotional work in which St. Anthony of Padua is represented with the Child on the Holy Scriptures. Both characters are inscribed in a golden break of glory where you can see the presence of several cherubs.
Aesthetically the work is close to the artistic circle of Antonio González Velázquez, son of the sculptor Pablo González Velázquez and brother of the artists Luis and Alejandro, with whom he worked on the mural paintings of the church of the Salesas Reales convent in Madrid. After studying in Madrid, at the Royal Academy of San Fernando, he went to Rome thanks to a scholarship from that school in 1747, and there he completed his training as a disciple of Corrado Giaquinto.
In Rome he also carried out some commissions, such as the frescoes in the church of the Santísima Trinidad de los Españoles. He returned to Madrid in 1752, and soon followed important projects such as the paintings of the walls of the church of the Royal Monastery of the Incarnation in the capital or those of the dome of the chapel of the Basilica of Pilar in Zaragoza. His prestige led him to be appointed court painter in 1757, which allowed him to participate in the decoration of the Royal Palace in Madrid, where he made an allegorical painting on the ceiling of the antechamber of the queen. A few years later, in 1765, he was also appointed director of the Academy of San Fernando. During these last years he also worked as a painter of cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory, like many of his contemporaries, under the direction of Mengs.
His work is mainly preserved in prominent institutions such as the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Museo N de Arte de Cataluña, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, the Brooklin Museum (United States), the Ibercaja Camón Aznar Museum, etc.