Antonio Ponce

ANTONIO PONCE (Valladolid, h. 1608-h. 1667)
"Still life of fish. February".
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
Inscribed "February" in the lower left corner.
Period frame adapted to the work.
Measurements: 101.5 x 160 cm; 127 x 188 x 11 cm (frame).

This "Still life of fish" by Antonio Ponce is a representative and high quality work of the Spanish still life genre of the Golden Age. The inscription "February" in the lower left corner is a significant detail that places it, probably, as part of a series dedicated to the months of the year, showing the characteristic products of each season.

The composition is organized with an apparent naturalness that hides a very meditated structure. The scene is presented on a simple stone table, against a dark and neutral background that highlights the elements in the foreground. A large wicker basket overflowing with silver fish, probably sardines or sea bream. Some of them spill out of the basket, creating a sense of abundance and natural disorder. On the far left, a larger, elongated fish, next to a shell, serves to frame the composition on that side.
To the right, a large metal cauldron or bowl dominates this section. In front and around it, the artist has arranged a variety of marine life that contrasts in color and form: squid with their distinctive red and white mottled skin, and various types of rockfish, such as mullet, recognizable by their reddish tones. This asymmetrical but balanced arrangement guides the viewer's gaze through the entire scene, inviting him to linger over every detail.

Antonio Ponce demonstrates extraordinary technical skill in depicting the different qualities and textures of the objects, a distinctive feature of the Spanish Baroque still life. Each fish is individualized. Ponce perfectly captures the moist, pearly sheen of the scales, the rigidity of rigor mortis and the glazed look in the eyes. Likewise, the artist delights in the rubbery texture and vibrant red and white patterns of the squid, as well as the intricacy of their tentacles. The wicker basket is painted with precise brushstrokes, and the cauldron reflects light on a metal surface, showing dents and a matte sheen that lends it solidity.

Antonio Ponce, a Spanish Baroque painter, specialized in still life and garland painting, developed all his activity in Madrid, a city where he arrived as a child. In 1624, he entered as an apprentice in the workshop of Juan Van der Hamen, the most famous still life painter of the time. The influence of his master is revealed in his early paintings, with an arrangement on stone entablatures sometimes superimposed and the strong chiaroscuro lighting of Caravaggesque origin. As a still life painter he tackled a wide variety of subjects and formats, fruits and vegetables, as well as game and flowers, series of months and small cabinet paintings. From 1637 to 1638, Ponce worked in the Buen Retiro Palace (Madrid), built by King Philip IV. In July and August of 1649, he collaborated with a group of artists in the ephemeral decoration of the steps of the square and the stairs of the church of San Felipe el Real, as part of the celebrations of the entrance of Mariana of Austria. In the 1640s, he adopted lighter and brighter backgrounds that were tinged by soft hallmarks and a chromatic scale tending to gray.