The Jester Barbarroja
The Jester Barbarroja (El bufón Barbarroja) is an oil on canvas portrait by Diego Velázquez of Cristóbal de Castañeda y Pernia, nicknamed Barbarroja in his role as a jester at the court of Philip IV of Spain from 1633 to 1649. The painting is now in the Museo del Prado.[1] It was in the Palacio del Buen Retiro in Madrid in 1701 and from 1816 to 1827 it was in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.
| The Jester Barbarroja | |
|---|---|
| Spanish: El bufón Barbarroja | |
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| Artist | Diego Velázquez |
| Year | 1637–1640 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 200 cm × 121.5 cm (79 in × 47.8 in) |
| Location | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
The composition's subject also served Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, for whom he played Barbarroja (Barbarossa) in comic plays. He was later banished from the court, to Seville, by the Duke of Olivares for a reply he gave the king when asked whether there were olives in the Segovian town of Valsaín - to this, the jester punningly replied "Sir, neither olives nor Olivares".
See also
References
- "El bufón Barbarroja". Museo Nacional del Prado. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
Bibliography
- Museo del Prado. Pintura española de los siglos XVI y XVII. Enrique Lafuente Ferrari. Aguilar S.A. 1964
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