Plan your visit to see Claudio Coello →

• What is Claudio Coello known for?+

  Claudio Coello is known as the last great master of the Spanish^[1] Baroque^[1]. He spent seven years on his painting, "La Sagrada Forma," filling the sacristy of El Escorial with portraits of courtiers and clergy.
• What is Claudio Coello's most famous work?+

  Claudio Coello was a prolific painter, muralist, and portraitist. Though many of his frescoes have been lost, he is considered the best-represented muralist of his era, among those whose work survives in Madrid. Coello received an important commission in 1668^[1] from the Benedictine nuns of San Placido: paintings for the high altar, the two side altars, and frescoes for the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. He signed and dated the high altar painting and one of the lateral works in 1668. Among Coello's well-known portraits are those of Charles II, Queen Mariana of Austria, and Padre Cabanillas. Coello painted Mariana in the style of Martínez del Mazo (active in 1666) and Carreño (active 1670-80). Coello's portrait shows the queen in widow's weeds, seated, and in full length. The portrait, now in the Alte Pinakothek (Munich), likely dates from 1690-93. Coello's portraits are noted for their vitality, particularly when compared to those of Carreño.
• What should I know about Claudio Coello's prints?+

  Claudio Coello (1642^[1]-1693^[1]) was a Spanish^[1] Baroque^[1] painter, born in Madrid. He became a court painter to Charles II of Spain. Although primarily a painter, prints after Coello's work circulated during and after his lifetime, extending his influence. Coello trained with Francisco Rizi, and he absorbed influences from Venetian and Flemish painting. He also studied the works of earlier artists in the Spanish royal collection. His style is characterised by dramatic compositions, attention to detail, and a talent for portraiture. One of Coello's most significant paintings is the high altarpiece in the Escorial church. Titled *The Holy Family*, it was completed in 1684^[1]. This large-scale work cemented his position as a leading artist in Spain. Other important paintings include works in the Prado Museum, Madrid, and various churches around Spain. Printmakers reproduced some of these famous compositions for collectors. Prints offer a more accessible way to engage with Coello's artistic vision. They allow one to appreciate his skill in composition and his characteristic Baroque aesthetic, even if the colour is absent. They also provide a glimpse into the artistic tastes of 17th-century Spain.
• What style or movement did Claudio Coello belong to?+

  Claudio Coello (1642^[1]-1693^[1]) is considered the most accomplished painter of his generation working at court during the final third of the seventeenth century. He is often described as the last significant artist of the Spanish^[1] Golden Age. Coello was born in Madrid to a family of Portuguese descent. Initially apprenticed to Francisco Rizi to learn drawing, his painting talent led him to remain with Rizi until 1660^[1], after which he began independent work. Rizi's influence is apparent in the grandeur and drama of Coello's compositions. Coello also studied the works of Rubens and Van Dyck, both directly and through prints. The elaborate settings in his religious paintings may reflect Rizi's experience as a set designer, though such features are common in Baroque^[1] painting generally. The architectural backgrounds in some of Coello's paintings reference sixteenth-century works by Veronese and Tintoretto that were present in Madrid at the time. Coello's portraits, such as those of Charles II and Queen Mariana of Austria, display a vitality that distinguishes them from those of his contemporaries, such as Carreño. His murals are well represented among the surviving works of his contemporaries in Madrid.
• What techniques or materials did Claudio Coello use?+

  Claudio Coello was active in the second half of the seventeenth century. Like other Baroque^[1] masters, he employed techniques that allowed for flexibility and larger formats. One approach involved toning the surface with a middle or darker value. The image was then created with an underpainting of washes, which could be controlled or spontaneous. Areas to be highlighted were built up with heavy impasto white paint. This created luminous colour, with thin, transparent darks that revealed the preliminary wash. The highlights, defining the volume, appear thick and raised from the painted surface. Another technique involved direct surface blending. Individual colours and values were mixed and applied to indicate highlight and shadow. Each new application of colour was carefully blended into the surrounding paint, resulting in a smooth flow. The underdrawing and underpainting served as a guide for the surface painting, but did not actively affect the surface itself. All traces of brushwork could be blended out, resulting in a smooth, detailed surface with gradual shifts from highlight to shadow.
• What was Claudio Coello known for?+

  Claudio Coello (1642^[1]-1693^[1]) was a painter in the court during the last third of the seventeenth century. Coello is considered the most distinguished artist of his generation, a final bright star of the Golden Age of Spanish^[1] painting. His career ended prematurely at the age of fifty-one. Some consider him the last great Spanish artist for a long time afterward. Born in Madrid, Coello apprenticed in Francisco Rizi's studio. Rizi's influence is apparent in the drama of Coello's compositions, further enhanced by his study of Rubens and Van Dyck. He also painted portraits, including Charles II and Queen Mariana of Austria. His portrait of Queen Mariana, now in the Alte Pinakothek (Munich), adopts a model established by Martínez del Mazo and Carrerio. Coello's version shows the queen in widow's weeds. He also painted frescoes; a small fraction of his output in this area survives.
• When did Claudio Coello live and work?+

  Claudio Coello was active during the second half of the 17th century. Born in 1642^[1], he died at the age of fifty-one in 1693^[1]; his death is considered the end of an era. He was the last major artist to emerge in Spain for a long time. Coello painted portraits of بادشاہی figures such as Charles II and Queen Mariana of Austria. His portrait of Mariana, now in the Alte Pinakothek (Munich), likely dates from 1690^[1]-93. It develops a composition previously explored by Martínez del Mazo and Carrerio. Coello's portrait presents a more majestic figure than those of his predecessors. His unfinished portrait of Charles II shows the artist's working method. Coello concentrated on depicting the armour and bow using spontaneous brushstrokes. He also painted religious works, such as Martyrdom of Saint Stephen, in the Church of San Esteban (Salamanca).
• Where can I see Claudio Coello's work?+

  Claudio Coello (1642^[1]-1693^[1]) was a painter in the court during the last third of the seventeenth century. He is considered the most distinguished artist of his generation. Several museums hold examples of Coello's work. The Museo del Prado in Madrid possesses a number of his paintings, including *Charles II*, *Triumph of Saint Augustine*, and *Padre Cabanillas*. The Alte Pinakothek in Munich holds *Queen Mariana of Austria*. The Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio, USA) has *Saint Joseph with the Christ Child*. Coello also worked as a mural painter. Although only a small fraction of his frescoes survive, he is considered the best-represented muralist of his circle. One example is *Martyrdom of Saint Stephen* in the Church of San Esteban, Salamanca. Coello's portraits, such as those of Charles II and Queen Mariana, display a vitality that sets them apart from those by painters such as Carreño. Coello's career was cut short by his death at the age of fifty-one.
• Where was Claudio Coello from?+

  Claudio Coello was born in Madrid in 1642^[1]. His family, of Portuguese heritage, had settled in Spain. Coello's father, a bronze and gold artisan, apprenticed him to Francisco Rizi, hoping he would learn drawing and assist with metalwork designs. However, Coello's talent as a painter was soon recognised, and he remained with Rizi until 1660^[1], when he began working independently. Rizi's influence is apparent in the grandeur and drama of Coello's compositions. This aspect of his art was further reinforced by studying the works of Rubens and Van Dyck, both directly and through prints. The settings in his religious paintings may reflect Rizi's experience as a set designer; Rizi had been in charge of stage sets in the Alcázar and the Buen Retiro from 1649. The architectural backgrounds in some of Coello's paintings reference sixteenth-century pictures by Veronese and Tintoretto that were in Madrid at the time.
• Who did Claudio Coello influence?+

  Claudio Coello (1642^[1]-1693^[1]) was the most accomplished painter of his generation working at the court during the last third of the seventeenth century. He is considered the final significant artist of the Golden Age of Spanish^[1] painting. Coello's early training was with Francisco Rizi, where he began as an apprentice assisting with metalwork designs. Rizi's influence is apparent in the grandeur and drama of Coello's compositions. Coello also studied the works of Rubens and Van Dyck, both directly and through prints. Coello's portraits, for example his portrait of Charles II in the Museo del Prado and Queen Mariana of Austria, display a certain vitality. His portrait Padre Cabanillas uses a simple composition and sombre colouring to focus attention on the subject's head. Coello died at the age of fifty-one. His death brought an end to the last great artist to emerge in Spain for a considerable time.
• Who influenced Claudio Coello?+

  Claudio Coello's artistic development involved several influences. The decoration of walls and ceilings in works such as the ceilings of the vestry of the cathedral of Toledo (1671^[1]-74) and of the Casa de la Panadería in Madrid (1672-73) owes a debt to the Bolognese painters Michelangelo Colonna and Agostino Mitelli. They had been brought to the Spanish^[1] court by Velázquez in 1658 to decorate the Alcazar. This illusionistic approach shaped the mural painting of Rizi and Carreño, and then that of Coello, who collaborated with José Jiménez Donoso. Their frescoes are similar to those painted by Italian artists. Coello also painted portraits. In his portrait of Queen Mariana, Coello continued the type established by Martínez del Mazo in 1666 and developed by Carreño in the decade of 1670-80. Coello's portraits show a light touch worthy of Velázquez. Near the end of his life, Coello's style changed again. According to rumour, Luca Giordano's arrival at the Spanish court influenced Coello. His last major work, *Martyrdom of Saint Stephen*, echoes the frescoes and canvases painted by Giordano.
• Who was Claudio Coello?+

  Claudio Coello (1642^[1]-1693^[1]) was the last major artist of the Spanish^[1] tradition of painting. He was a court painter during the age of absolutism. As such, he created portraits of the royal family. His portrait of King Charles II shows the artist's working method. Coello captured the brilliance of the armour and the folds of the bow with free brushstrokes. A later version toned down some details. Coello's royal portraits, such as those of Queen Mariana of Austria, followed a type established earlier in 1666^[1]. However, Coello's figures are more monumental than his models. He also painted religious works, such as Martyrdom of Saint Stephen. Much of his fresco work has been lost. Coello died at the age of 51. His death brought an end to the life of the last great artist to emerge in Spain for a long time.