Josefa de obidos biography of abraham lincoln

Maria Francisca of Savoy. In many of these sources, the authors attributed various paintings, which are now known to be by different authors, to Josefa. Beginning inart historians began to more critically evaluate her body of work; in an exhibition held in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga Lisboncurators assembled a list of fifty-three works that could definitively be declared autograph.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Spanish-born Portuguese painter. SevilleCrown of Castile. Biography [ edit ]. Works [ edit ]. At the bottom left, a small dog symbolizing marital fidelity sleeps beside a basket.

Joaquim Oliveira Caetano, director of the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, explains that she "had a personal taste for clothes, rich fabrics and ornaments. The inventory of her possessions, made after her death inis full of embroidered ornaments, velvet and oriental silk clothing, lace, gloves, silver and gold embroidery, and a wealth of jewelry.

Josefa de obidos biography of abraham lincoln

In addition to the [wealth] that these garments and fashion ornaments document, they also show a clear personal taste that is also reflected in her reproduction of the textile diversity and the profusion of decorative ornaments she represented in her paintings". On Mary's lap sits the Christ child, who gazes curiously downward at an older gypsy woman kneeling on the ground who is holding his hand as she reads his palm.

To the left of the scene, but nestled in closely, are two additional women, a baby, and a child. All four lean in intently, evidently curious about the scene that is unfolding before them. The only other object identifiable in the scene is a section of purple drapery just behind the Virgin's head. At the same time, however, this compositional choice serves, here and in her other works, to push the figures closer together, thereby increasing the sense of intimacy and emotional warmth that she was already so skilled at depicting in her figures' facial expressions.

Caetano notes that, in addition to being a "decorative element", the column "is a strong iconographic element as a Christological symbol and as an image of faith", which she used in other religious works such as the Lactation of Saint Bernard As for her inclusion of a still life scene of fruit and flowers, no doubt inspired by the Flemish works she so admired, and serving here as a testament to her skill as a still life painter, Caetano recognizes the fruit as having symbolic meaning, with the ensemble indicating "the abundance and prosperity of fortune", the melon representing wisdom, and the apple linking to the idea of Mary "as the New Eve, conceived without sin and destined to redeem humanity from the faults of the primitive Eve".

The central focal point is a tall, ornate, white vase containing an arrangement of flowers, the highest of which are white lilies, a likely allusion to the Virgin Mary. In her still lifes, the painter sometimes equaled the greatest". She presents specimens of the natural world in precise detail, developing, as Melikian puts it, "a carefully contrived construction, lyrical in its handling of color and luminosity, and so rigorous that not one iota could be removed".

Caetano adds that, as with the fabrics and jewelry of her religious paintings and portraits, in her still lifes she paints "inanimate things [ A winged angel in red dress on the left side of the josefa de obidos biography of abraham lincoln grasps the sitter's right hand with its own, while its left hand is raised softly near its face, and it looks at the subject peacefully.

The background is comprised of dark clouds, illuminated softly from the centre, causing the image to be imbued with a dramatic sense of light and dark. Art historian Julia K. Dabbs suggests that this bias on portraiture "might be attributed to several factors: 1 the Theatro heroino was dedicated to the Queen of Portugal; 2 artists were often associated with nobility by early modern biographers in order to elevate their social status; 3 portraiture was privileged in importance and skill over still lifes in the early modern hierarchy of painting genres, thus enhancing Ayala's reputation; and 4 portraiture was considered a medium especially congenial to the skills of women artists, who did not have the benefit of academic training but were thought to be of replication".

Yet Dabbs concludes that "We should also be open to the possibility that Ayala was indeed a gifted portraitist," and that "her Portrait of Faustino das Neves [ In each, Jesus is shown as a toddler standing on an ornate pedestal, gazing softly at the viewer. With his left hand, he makes the sign of blessing, and tucked under his right arm are an orb divided into three parts, symbolizing the Earth with the three continents known to Europeans prior to their arrival in America: Europe, Africa, and Asia, and surmounted by a cross, which represents Christ as the savior and a gold and white flag.

Above Jesus's head is a halo suggested by radiating rays of light. His body is naked, covered by a garment of transparent lace. Art historian Rachel Zimmerman notes that "Like many other women, such as the Italian painter Sofonisba Anguissola, Ayala often emphasized feminine virtues in her work. The Christ Child as Salvador Mundi highlights religious devotion, and maternal affection [ To maintain the chaste reputation expected of an unmarried woman, Ayala added a translucent gown with strategically placed folds that catch the light and hide the figure's genitals".

Zimmerman goes on to explain that "Women were encouraged to foster a maternal relationship with the Christ Child in emulation of the Virgin Mary, such as women who became nuns. When entering the convent, girls would sometimes receive dolls of the Christ Child. They acted as mother to the doll while also being spiritually married to Jesus as nuns.

If Ayala indeed lived in convents, she may have participated in the care of a Christ child doll. Her personal experience with such a doll could have been one reason why she made multiple paintings of the Christ Child". Two of her earliest known works were engravings of St. Catherine and St. Peter were completed when she was approximately 16 years old and a signed painting for the Augustinian Monastery of Santa Cruz was finished the following year in Over a career that spanned 4 decades de Obidos painted several altarpieces as well as portraits and still life paintings for churches throughout Portugal and in the process became one of the most important painters in Portugal.

While these paintings appear to be secular still-life paintings on the surface, they also have religious meaning and may be connected to Franciscan religiosity. An example of one of her religious paintings would be The Pascal Lamb which conveys ideas of piety and sacrifice. Taken as a whole, these paintings represent the passage of time, the inevitability of death, and the possibility of rebirth.

Her best known portrait is that of Faustino das Nevesdated c. Maria Francisca of Savoy. In many of these sources, the authors attributed various paintings, which are now known to be by different authors, to Josefa.