Acislo Antonio Palomino de Castro y Velasco
Encyclopedia
Acislo Antonio Palomino de Castro y Velasco (1653 – 13 April 1726) was a Spanish
painter of the Baroque
period, best known for his writings on art theory and biographies of artists.
He was born of good family at Bujalance
, near Córdoba
in 1653. He studied philosophy
, theology
and law at Córdoba, receiving also lessons in painting from Juan de Valdés Leal
, who visited there in 1672, and afterwards from Juan de Alfaro y Gamez
(1675).
After taking minor orders
he removed to Madrid
in 1678, where he associated with Alfaro, Claudio Coello
, and Juan Carreño de Miranda
, and executed some indifferent fresco
es. He soon afterwards married a lady of rank, and, having been appointed alcalde
of the mesta
, was himself ennobled; and in 1688 he was appointed painter to King Charles II
. He visited Valencia
in 1697, and remained there for three or four years, again devoting himself with but poor success to fresco painting. Between 1705 and 1715 he resided for considerable periods at Salamanca
, Granada
and Córdoba; in the latter year the first volume of his work on art appeared in Madrid. He painted the ceiling fresco in the dome of the sacristy of the Cartuja de Granada. After the death of his wife in 1725 Palomino took priest's orders. He died on 13 August 1726.
His work, in a 3-volumes folio
edition (1715–1724), entitled El Museo pictórico y escala óptica, consists of three parts, of which the first two, on the theory and practice of the art of painting, have had little influence; the third, however, with the subtitle El Parnaso español pintoresco laureado, is a mine of important biographical material relating to Spanish artists, which, notwithstanding its uneven style, has procured for the author the honor of being called the Spanish Vasari. It was partially translated into English in 1739; an abridgment of the original (Las Vidas de los pintores y estatuarios españoles) was published in London in 1742, and afterwards appeared in a French
translation in 1749. A German
version was published at Dresden
in 1781, and a reprint of the entire work at Madrid in 1797. A modern English translation of the abridgment by Nina Ayala Mallory came out in 1987 from Cambridge University Press (ISBN 0-521-33474-8).
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
painter of the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
period, best known for his writings on art theory and biographies of artists.
He was born of good family at Bujalance
Bujalance
Bujalance is a town located in the heart of Andalucia, southern Spain, in the province of Córdoba. , it had 7910 inhabitants.Its name is derived Arabic term Bury al Hans. Among its monuments and places of interest, there exist its Moorish castle , the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción),...
, near Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
in 1653. He studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and law at Córdoba, receiving also lessons in painting from Juan de Valdés Leal
Juan de Valdés Leal
Juan de Valdés Leal was a Spanish painter of the Baroque era.He was born in Seville in 1622, and distinguished himself as a painter, sculptor, and architect. He worked for a time under Antonio del Castillo. Among his works are a History of the Prophet Elias for the church of the Carmelites; a...
, who visited there in 1672, and afterwards from Juan de Alfaro y Gamez
Juan de Alfaro y Gamez
Juan de Alfaro y Gamez was a Spanish painter of the Baroque. He was born at Córdoba. He was first a pupil of Antonio del Castillo, but finished his studies at Madrid under Velázquez, whose manner he followed, particularly in portraits. He was employed by Velazquez in copying the works of Titian,...
(1675).
After taking minor orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
he removed to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1678, where he associated with Alfaro, Claudio Coello
Claudio Coello
Claudio Coello was a Spanish Baroque painter. Influenced by many other artists, including Diego Velázquez who was also of Portuguese descent, Coello is considered the last great Spanish painter of the 17th century....
, and Juan Carreño de Miranda
Juan Carreño de Miranda
Juan Carreño de Miranda was a Spanish painter of the Baroque period.Born in Avilés in Asturias, son of a painter with the same name, Juan Carreño de Miranda. His family moved to Madrid in 1623, and he trained in Madrid during the late 1620s as an apprentice to Pedro de Las Cuevas and Bartolomé Roman...
, and executed some indifferent fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es. He soon afterwards married a lady of rank, and, having been appointed alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of the mesta
Mesta
The Mesta was a powerful association of sheep holders in the medieval Kingdom of Castile....
, was himself ennobled; and in 1688 he was appointed painter to King Charles II
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
. He visited Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
in 1697, and remained there for three or four years, again devoting himself with but poor success to fresco painting. Between 1705 and 1715 he resided for considerable periods at Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
, Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
and Córdoba; in the latter year the first volume of his work on art appeared in Madrid. He painted the ceiling fresco in the dome of the sacristy of the Cartuja de Granada. After the death of his wife in 1725 Palomino took priest's orders. He died on 13 August 1726.
His work, in a 3-volumes folio
Book size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
edition (1715–1724), entitled El Museo pictórico y escala óptica, consists of three parts, of which the first two, on the theory and practice of the art of painting, have had little influence; the third, however, with the subtitle El Parnaso español pintoresco laureado, is a mine of important biographical material relating to Spanish artists, which, notwithstanding its uneven style, has procured for the author the honor of being called the Spanish Vasari. It was partially translated into English in 1739; an abridgment of the original (Las Vidas de los pintores y estatuarios españoles) was published in London in 1742, and afterwards appeared in a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
translation in 1749. A German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version was published at Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
in 1781, and a reprint of the entire work at Madrid in 1797. A modern English translation of the abridgment by Nina Ayala Mallory came out in 1987 from Cambridge University Press (ISBN 0-521-33474-8).