The Waterseller of Seville (Velázquez)
Encyclopedia
The Waterseller of Seville is the title of three paintings by Spanish artist Diego Velázquez
, dating from 1618-1622. It is widely said to be the greatest of all his Seville
paintings.
, London
, United Kingdom
, was originally housed in the Royal Spanish Collection but stolen by Joseph Bonaparte
at the time of the Napoleonic wars
. The Duke of Wellington
later won it - and 82 other paintings - back at the Battle of Vittoria. The King of Spain allowed him to keep them in return for beating the French. Wellington brought the painting back to England where it remains to this day, in Apsley House
, his former home.
The version in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence
, painted as many as two to four years earlier, has a rather more burlesque
feel with the seller wearing an ornate red hat. This may be more in line with his contemporaries' expectations due to the comical and devious image of the waterseller given in picaresque novel
s of the time.
The Walters Art Museum
version, in the United States
, takes yet another angle on the waterseller. In this he appears almost despairing in his expression, perhaps to the extent of appearing farcical. The brilliant colours used are the most extreme of the three (with the pots taking on an altogether more shiny appearance). However, as in the Uffizi version, the characters lack the depth of personality present in the Wellington version.
. The seller has two customers: a young boy, possibly painted from the same model as used for the boys in The Lunch
and Old Woman Cooking Eggs, and a young man in the background shadows, (time has caused him to fade somewhat - he is clearer in the Uffizi
version).
In the foreground sit the seller's gigantic pots of water, glistening with streams of running water. So large and rounded, they almost protrude out of the painting into the observer's space. The seller hands a freshly poured glass of water to the boy. In it sits a fig, a perfumer intended to make the water taste fresher - something still done in Seville
today.
The still, calm scene - a typical quality of his genre scenes and, indeed, much of Velázquez's work - is remarkable for the depiction of the seller. His pensive face, battered by its direct exposure to sunlight, deeply scarred with the wrinkles of age, speaks of long years of experience. His short shaved hair and old plain clothes give him the appearance of a monk, or a saint, or an eccentric philosopher. He gazes into nothing, indicating deep thought, almost unaware of those around him.
Velázquez's respect for the poor is evidence in the idea that the simple, elemental nature of poverty is profound, effective in depicting higher subjects and morals such as biblical stories (such as the Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
).
Another proponent of this idea was Caravaggio
, who significantly influenced this painting. Caravaggio went against the idealistic trends of Mannerism
and the Renaissance
, painting saints and divine beings as fallible cripples and prostitutes. Whilst not as aggressively provocative as Caravaggio, Velázquez does not by any means idealize his subject. Rather, he aims to represent it in a way that is precisely faithful to life. He captures the imperfections of the seller's pots, the saturations of dampness on their sides, the glistening of the light on the small drops of water and the glass, and the realistic expressions of the characters.
In the context of Velázquez's development as an artist, The Waterseller starts exhibiting the technique of the artist's mature creations. His insight into the person of the seller is symptomatic of his insight into the subjects of his great portraits, and his precise rendition of the small details of reality demonstrate his understanding of human perception.
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
, dating from 1618-1622. It is widely said to be the greatest of all his Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
paintings.
History
The painting exists in three versions. The version in the Apsley HouseApsley House
Apsley House, also known as Number One, London, is the former London residence of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing south towards the busy traffic interchange and Wellington Arch...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, was originally housed in the Royal Spanish Collection but stolen by Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
at the time of the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. The Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
later won it - and 82 other paintings - back at the Battle of Vittoria. The King of Spain allowed him to keep them in return for beating the French. Wellington brought the painting back to England where it remains to this day, in Apsley House
Apsley House
Apsley House, also known as Number One, London, is the former London residence of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing south towards the busy traffic interchange and Wellington Arch...
, his former home.
The version in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, painted as many as two to four years earlier, has a rather more burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
feel with the seller wearing an ornate red hat. This may be more in line with his contemporaries' expectations due to the comical and devious image of the waterseller given in picaresque novel
Picaresque novel
The picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
s of the time.
The Walters Art Museum
Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum, located in Baltimore, Maryland's Mount Vernon neighborhood, is a public art museum founded in 1934. The museum's collection was amassed substantially by two men, William Thompson Walters , who began serious collecting when he moved to Paris at the outbreak of the American...
version, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, takes yet another angle on the waterseller. In this he appears almost despairing in his expression, perhaps to the extent of appearing farcical. The brilliant colours used are the most extreme of the three (with the pots taking on an altogether more shiny appearance). However, as in the Uffizi version, the characters lack the depth of personality present in the Wellington version.
Description
The subject of the painting is the waterseller. This was a common trade for the lower classes in Velázquez's Seville. The jars and the topic of victuals recall the paintings called bodegónBodegón
The term bodega in Spanish can mean "pantry", "tavern", or "wine cellar". The derivative term bodegón is an augmentative that refers to a large bodega, usually in a derogatory fashion...
. The seller has two customers: a young boy, possibly painted from the same model as used for the boys in The Lunch
The Lunch (Velázquez)
The Lunch is a very early painting by Spanish artist Diego Velázquez, finished c. 1617. It is housed in the Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg.The paintings portrays a table covered by a creased cloth, on which two pomegranates and a piece of bread lies...
and Old Woman Cooking Eggs, and a young man in the background shadows, (time has caused him to fade somewhat - he is clearer in the Uffizi
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
version).
In the foreground sit the seller's gigantic pots of water, glistening with streams of running water. So large and rounded, they almost protrude out of the painting into the observer's space. The seller hands a freshly poured glass of water to the boy. In it sits a fig, a perfumer intended to make the water taste fresher - something still done in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
today.
The still, calm scene - a typical quality of his genre scenes and, indeed, much of Velázquez's work - is remarkable for the depiction of the seller. His pensive face, battered by its direct exposure to sunlight, deeply scarred with the wrinkles of age, speaks of long years of experience. His short shaved hair and old plain clothes give him the appearance of a monk, or a saint, or an eccentric philosopher. He gazes into nothing, indicating deep thought, almost unaware of those around him.
Velázquez's respect for the poor is evidence in the idea that the simple, elemental nature of poverty is profound, effective in depicting higher subjects and morals such as biblical stories (such as the Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (Velázquez)
Kitchen Scene in the House of Martha and Mary is a painting from Spanish artist Diego Velázquez, dating to his Seville period. Housed in the National Gallery, London, United Kingdom, it was painted in 1618, shortly after he completed his apprenticeship with Pacheco...
).
Another proponent of this idea was Caravaggio
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
, who significantly influenced this painting. Caravaggio went against the idealistic trends of Mannerism
Mannerism
Mannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
and the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, painting saints and divine beings as fallible cripples and prostitutes. Whilst not as aggressively provocative as Caravaggio, Velázquez does not by any means idealize his subject. Rather, he aims to represent it in a way that is precisely faithful to life. He captures the imperfections of the seller's pots, the saturations of dampness on their sides, the glistening of the light on the small drops of water and the glass, and the realistic expressions of the characters.
In the context of Velázquez's development as an artist, The Waterseller starts exhibiting the technique of the artist's mature creations. His insight into the person of the seller is symptomatic of his insight into the subjects of his great portraits, and his precise rendition of the small details of reality demonstrate his understanding of human perception.