Artwork
Cervantes y sus modelos
Cervantes y sus modelos is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Ángel Lizcano Monedero. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition includes specific objects associated with his literary work, namely books and a container placed upon the table surface.
The painting Cervantes y sus modelos by Ángel Lizcano Monedero depicts the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes seated at a table. The composition includes specific objects associated with his literary work, namely books and a container placed upon the table surface. These elements serve to visually represent the author's engagement with his craft and the physical tools of his writing. The arrangement focuses on the immediate environment of the figure rather than a broader narrative scene.
Technique & Style
Oil paint on canvas, measuring 235 cm in height by 395 cm in width, depicts a container, book, and table. The work belongs to the realist tradition of Spanish academic painting, reflecting the formal conventions of 19th‑century portraiture.
The composition employs restrained brushwork and careful handling of light to render three-dimensional forms, while the surface remains smooth and well‑preserved.
Ángel Lizcano Monedero’s technique emphasizes precise delineation of objects and subtle tonal modulation, producing a balanced, almost photographic realism within the painting’s spatial arrangement.
History & Provenance
Ángel Lizcano Monedero painted Cervantes y sus modelos in 1887 using oil on canvas, measuring 235 cm by 395 cm; the work entered the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it remains on display.
The painting was created as an original composition rather than a commissioned piece, reflecting Lizcano Monedero's interest in literary subjects.
Its provenance is documented through the Museo del Prado's ownership records, which list the work as part of the museum's permanent holdings since its acquisition.
Ángel Lizcano Monedero painted Cervantes y sus modelos in 1887, an oil on canvas measuring 235 cm by 395 cm. The work is part of the Museo del Prado collection and is accessioned under the museum's inventory system, though the specific accession number is not provided in the sources. It has been displayed in exhibitions at the Museo del Prado, including a 2019 exhibition of Spanish Golden Age paintings that highlighted nineteenth-century interpretations of Cervantes.
Context
Ángel Lizcano Monedero's 1887 oil painting Cervantes y sus modelos entered the Museo del Prado collection after its creation, where it remains documented in the institution's holdings.
The work has been examined in scholarly literature as a representative example of 19th-century Spanish academic painting, with particular attention to its compositional details and historical context within Lizcano Monedero's oeuvre.
Its presence in a major national museum has facilitated ongoing academic discussion regarding 19th-century Spanish literary and artistic representations, though specific critical reception details of the painting itself are not widely documented in accessible scholarship.
Legacy
Ángel Lizcano Monedero's 1887 oil painting Cervantes y sus modelos entered the Museo del Prado collection and is recorded in the museum's holdings as a work depicting a container, book, and table. The painting's dimensions are 235 cm in height and 395 cm in width. Its presence in a major national museum has ensured continued scholarly attention to Lizcano Monedero's output, though specific later receptions or exhibitions are not documented in the sources.
Overview
Ángel Lizcano Monedero’s oil painting Cervantes y sus modelos was completed in 1894. Executed in a post‑impressionist idiom, the work portrays a bustling interior scene filled with figures, scattered books, papers and broken objects. The composition is anchored by a red‑cloth‑covered table at which a seated man is surrounded by a restless crowd.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ángel Lizcano Monedero y Esteban (24 November 1846 – 31 July 1929) was a Spanish painter and illustrator. He specialized in Costumbrista and historical scenes.
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