Architectural Capriccio
by GUTIÉRREZ CABELLO, Francisco, Oil on canvas, 168 x 216 cm
The painting shows an extravagant architectural capriccio with a state barge on a canal and Pharaoh’s daughter finding Moses. It is related to a group of works by Guti�rrez depicting biblical subjects set within grandiose mannerist architectural settings. These include a set of six capriccios depicting Joseph in Heliopolis, the Arc of the Covenant, the Judgment of Solomon, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the Betrothal of the Virgin, and Christ in the House of Simon the Pharisee, all now in the Colegiata at Villagarcia de Campos (Valladolid).
Stylistically, Guti�rrez’s figure groups derive from Juan de la Corte, but his complex architectural renderings betray a likely knowledge of the engravings and designs from Northern and Central Europe, particularly the work of Hans Vredeman de Vries.