1434 - Exceptional Virgin of the Rosary, in the style of Juan de Espinal, 18th-century Seville school

Exceptional Virgin of the Rosary, in the style of Juan de Espinal, 18th-century Seville school Oil on canvas, with an important period frame. Canvas dimensions: 162 x 117 cm. Framed dimensions: 191 x 147 cm; requires cleaning. Juan de Espinal (Seville, 1714–ibid., 1783) was a Spanish painter. He is considered the most important figure in Sevillian painting of the second half of the 18th century and one of the leading Andalusian representatives of the Rococo artistic movement. The son of the painter Gregorio Espinal, he likely received his initial artistic training from his father. He completed his apprenticeship in the studio of Domingo Martínez, where he most likely met his teacher’s daughter, Juana Martínez, whom he later married. In 1749, following the death of his father-in-law and teacher, he inherited his studio and presumably his clientele, thereby securing a prestigious position. Evidence of this includes the various commissions he received from both the city council and the ecclesiastical hierarchy, such as the 27 paintings he produced between 1770 and 1775 depicting scenes from the life of Saint Jerome for the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista (Seville), or the series of canvases on religious themes (1776–1781) to adorn the Archbishop’s Palace in Seville, commissioned by Archbishop Francisco Javier Delgado y Venegas. Another facet of his career was teaching; he was one of the main promoters of the art school known as the Royal School of the Three Noble Arts of Seville and served as director of its painting department beginning in 1775. Bibliography: Valdivieso, Enrique, “A Pictorial Series of the Life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola by Juan de Espinal,” *Laboratorio de Arte*, 13 (2000), pp. 391–202. Due to its age and history of use, this lot may show signs of wear and previous interventions. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, no specialized technical testing has been performed. The absence of any mention of restorations does not guarantee that none exist. You may ...