Artwork
La siesta (Estanco nacional)
La siesta (Estanco nacional) is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Miguel Zaragoza. It dates from 1892 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work was created by Miguel Zaragoza in 1884 and is housed in the Museo del Prado, where it remains part of the permanent collection.
The painting portrays a quiet domestic scene dominated by a bottle and woven basketry, elements that underscore themes of everyday material culture in late nineteenth‑century Spain. The bottle, rendered with careful attention to light and surface texture, suggests both domestic consumption and the modest prosperity of a household, while the basketry adds a tactile sense of craft and sustenance. Together these objects function as symbols of routine domestic life, reflecting broader social attitudes toward comfort and the domestic sphere during the period. The composition’s stillness invites contemplation of the simple, unremarkable moments that defined contemporary domestic existence.
The work was created by Miguel Zaragoza in 1884 and is housed in the Museo del Prado, where it remains part of the permanent collection.
Technique & Style
La siesta (Estanco nacional) is an oil painting executed on canvas, reflecting the realist approach of Miguel Zaragoza y Aranquizna in the 1880s. The work depicts a bottle and basketry, rendered with textured brushwork and subdued tonal modeling characteristic of Spanish academic realism. Its composition balances intimate genre subjects with meticulous attention to material detail, particularly in the rendering of organic forms.
The painting measures 40 cm in height by 59 cm in width and is housed in the Museo del Prado collection.
History & Provenance
Miguel Zaragoza created the oil painting La siesta (Estanco nacional) in 1884. The work was executed on canvas and depicts subjects including a bottle and basketry. It is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
The specific commission details and the full chain of ownership prior to its arrival at the museum are not detailed in the available records.
La siesta (Estanco nacional) is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The oil on canvas work, created in 1884, measures 40 cm in height and 59 cm in width. While the painting is part of the museum's permanent holdings, the available records do not list specific inventory accession numbers or detail a history of temporary exhibitions for this piece.
Overview
Created in 1892, this oil on canvas by Miguel Zaragoza portrays an interior scene of a modest wooden hut. Three figures, two adults and a child, are shown in a state of rest, while a rooster and several chickens occupy the space outside the doorway. A sign above the entrance bears the words “Estanco Nacional,” identifying the location.
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