El Soplón
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2018) |
| El Soplón | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | El Greco |
| Year | 1571-1572 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 60.5 cm × 50.5 cm (23.8 in × 19.9 in) |
| Location | Museo di Capodimonte, Naples |
El Soplón or Boy Blowing on an Ember[1] is a 1571-1572 oil on canvas painting by El Greco, almost certainly produced during his stay in Venice.[2] The work could emulate the ancient Greek artist Antiphilus, inspired by a passage in Pliny the Elder's Naturalis historia.[3] The painting is part of El Greco's rare Italian phase.[4] It and Portrait of Giulio Clovio are among the first of his paintings of figures. He later re-used the figure for The Fable (1580).[2]
The nocturnal scene features a boy holding a flaming ember in his left hand and a candle in his right hand.[5]
It may have been a direct commission from the Farnese family, though its origins are not known for sure.[6] It is traditionally thought to have been influenced by Jacopo Bassano, though recent studies have shown that it was instead an attempt to reconstruct a lost ancient Roman painting. Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis named several artists who depicted the same theme.[6] It formed part of the Farnese Collection. The painting was inherited by Charles of Bourbon in 1734 and moved to Naples. It is now in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples.[6]
See also
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- (in Italian) J. Álvarez Lopera, El Greco, Madrid, Arlanza (2005), Biblioteca «Descubrir el Arte», (colección «Grandes maestros»). ISBN 84-95503-44-1
- (in Italian) M. Scholz-Hanzsel, El Greco, Colonia, Taschen (2003). ISBN 978-3-8228-3173-1
References
[edit]- ^ "Museo Capodimonte" (PDF).
- ^ a b Long, Rebecca J. (2020-03-17). El Greco: Ambition and Defiance. Yale University Press (published April 28, 2020). p. 79. ISBN 978-0-300-25082-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Ruiz, L (2011). "El Greco". Guía de sala [es-spa] (in Spanish). Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado. p. 53.
- ^ "El Greco's "Boy Blowing an Ember"". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
- ^ "El Greco's "Boy Blowing an Ember"". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
- ^ a b c Scholz-Hänsel, Michael; Greco (2004). El Greco: Domenikos Theotokopoulos, 1541-1614. Taschen (published Nov 2, 2004). p. 19. ISBN 978-3-8228-3171-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)