Juan Bernabé Palomino

JUAN BERNABÉ PALOMINO (Córdoba, 1692-Madrid, 1777).
"Immaculate".
Gouache on vellum.
Work confirmed by Mrs. Natividad Galindo who is the expert on Palomino.
Measurements: 37 x 27 cm; 44 x 34 cm (frame).
Juan Bernabé Palomino y Fernández de la Vega was an outstanding Spanish engraver of the 18th century, linked to an important artistic and academic tradition. The son of a silversmith from Córdoba, he was also the nephew of the renowned painter and treatise writer Antonio Palomino, whose influence was decisive in his training and professional career.
Before his uncle's death in 1726, Juan Bernabé was already established in his workshop in Madrid, dedicated to the engraving reproduction of designs and drawings by Antonio Palomino himself. He was also in charge of the custody of the plates corresponding to the second volume of the influential work El Museo pictórico y escala óptica (The Pictorial Museum and Optical Scale), which shows his close collaboration in the dissemination of Baroque artistic ideals.
According to historian Juan Agustín Ceán Bermúdez, that same year he returned to Córdoba with the purpose of perfecting his technique. There he dedicated himself to the meticulous study of works by other masters, developing a refined sensitivity in the art of engraving. Once he had consolidated his skills, he returned to Madrid, where he would spend the rest of his career.
In 1752 he was appointed Director of Intaglio Engraving at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, a position he held until his death. In addition, he was awarded the title of Chamber Engraver by the court, which confirms his high institutional recognition. An inventory of his assets made on the occasion of his second marriage in 1767 reveals that he amassed a considerable fortune. This document also mentions some of his paintings, although at present only his engravings and two heads of apostles in pastel, preserved in the Academy itself, are preserved.
His artistic production was centered on individual devotional engravings, portraits -among which the portrait of Isabel de Farnesio stands out-, and reproductions of famous paintings and sculptures. The latter include a representation of St. Bruno, based on a sculpture by Manuel Pereira; the Miracle of San Isidro, after a painting by Juan Carreño de Miranda; and St. Peter in Prison, after Juan de Roelas. Occasionally, he also made illustrations for books, thus contributing to the circulation of images and visual knowledge in the publishing field.
His legacy continued in the figure of his son, Juan Fernando Palomino, who also achieved notoriety as an engraver and held important positions within the Royal Academy, perpetuating the artistic tradition of the family.