Allegory of the Camaldolese Order facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allegory of the Camaldolese Order |
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| Spanish: Alegoría de la Orden de los Camaldulenses | |
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| Artist | El Greco |
| Year | ca. 1600 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 124 x 90 cm (48.8 x 35.4 in) |
| Location | Instituto Valencia of Don Juan, Madrid, Spain |
Allegory of the Camaldolese Order is a composition by El Greco and his workshop that survives in two paintings, one at the Instituto Valencia de Don Juan in Madrid and the other at the Museo del Patriarca in Valencia. The paintings depict a bird's-eye view of the "ideal monastery" according to the Camaldolese, and were likely commissioned as part of Fray Juan de Castañiza's (c. 1545-1599) petition to Philip II in 1597 to establish the benedictine monastic order in Spain.
Patronage
The canvas held at the Instituto Valencia of Don Juan bears escutcheon of Mariana de Mendoza of Toledo and that of her husband Pedro Lasso de la Vega, Conde de los Arcos. The two were known to own eight original works by El Greco, as well as eighteen works depicting hermits. The Allegory of the Camaldolese, however, was probably the only painting that they expressly commissioned from El Greco, showing their commitment to Fray Juan de Castañiza's project and their continuing support of the artist. It is unknown who commissioned the painting now at the Museo del Patriarca, though it bears the arms of Juan de Ribera, Archbishop of Valencia and Patriarch of Antioch. Fernando Marías suggested it may have been a gift from Mariana and Pedro Lasso to Ribera rather than being a personal commission.
See also
In Spanish: Alegoría de la orden de la Camáldula (El Greco) para niños
- List of works by El Greco
