Virgem e São José buscando guarida em Belém
Autor: Bento Coelho da Silveira, atribuída a
Centro de Fabrico: Espanha
Data: c.1680-1685
Material: Óleo sobre tela
Dimensões (cm): Alt. 178,7; larg. 271,8
Proprietário: Palácio Nacional da Ajuda
N.º de Inventário: PNA66710
It is through the reading of the Gospels, specifically Saint Luke’s, that we can appreciate the historic context of the painting. There, the following can be read: ‘In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree stating that all the Empire should register as voters (and this registration first took place when Quirinius was the Governor of Syria). And everyone did so in his or her home-town.
Another source for the framework is the ‘Golden Legend’ in which it can be read: ‘And when they arrived, since all the guest-houses were full, they were forced to stay in a common area. And there was a stable for the donkey he brought with him, and for an ox’.
Louis Reau in his ‘Christian Iconography’ tells us that this passage was popularised by the ‘Théatre dês Mysteres’ – a form of Theatre that appeared in the 15th century and consisted of a series of moving images and written dialogues for a wide audience and that implemented and fuelled many stories, legends and beliefs. The supernatural and realism began to coexist.
Bento Coelho da Silveira (1617/1620 – 1708)
A native of Lisbon, he was a painter and poet (according to documentation in the Academia dos Singulares), considered one of the most renowned Portuguese artists of the 17th century. He was appointed Royal Painter to King Pedro II in 1678.
Regarding his artistic training, the information is ambiguous and not very clear. He was a disciple of the painter Marcos da Cruz and there are speculations that he spent time in Spain during the time of Peter Paul Rubens. Other painters such as Avelar Rebelo, Baltazar Gomes Figueira and Josefa de Ayala – known as Josefa de Óbidos – may have also contributed to his training.
His works are predominantly oils on canvas – an innovative material in the 17th century, under Italian influence. He became known as a fa presto painter (“do it quickly” in Italian), due to the fast execution of his works – characterized by long and broad brushstrokes. They were also executed a la prima, that is, without preparatory drawing (the paints are added to an earthy-coloured background, without a previous drawing of the subject).
In general, Bento Coelho da Silveira’s paintings are considered to be of high quality and are seen as a turning point in the evolution of Baroque painting.
He painted for a vast market, producing an extensive body of work primarily intended to decorate Christian churches in the post-Restoration period (after 1640). He worked for the Crown (John IV, Afonso VI, Pedro II), for the nobility (Menezes, Lencastres), for religious orders (Jesuits, Discalced Carmelites, Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, Poor Clares, Arrábidos, Cistercians), and Brotherhoods and Confraternities.
He is credited with over 200 works, which may be found in a wide variety of locations – in addition to many others that were destroyed in the 1755 earthquake.
He painted until his death and, reportedly, even used gold, silver and iron brushes.
