Workshop of PEDRO DE ORRENTE (Murcia, 1580 - Valencia, 1645).
"Pastoral scene for a passage from the Old Testament".
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
Size: 57 x 69 cm; 76,5 x 88 cm (frame).
During his stay in Venice, Pedro de Orrente must not only have learned the pictorial manners of the Bassano family, but he would also take on their conception of painting as a market-oriented activity. His treatment of sacred themes as genre scenes would be fundamental in this respect. These were, above all, lively series of biblical stories with which fans could be flattered by the variety and dynamism of the works, populated by a large number of characters set in landscapes and accompanied by all kinds of animals and everyday objects. In the present work we seem to recognise David by the harp resting at his side, but he is depicted as a shepherd with his sheep. This is a workshop work by the painter Pedro de Orrente.
Known as "the Spanish Bassano", Pedro Orrente was a highly successful artist of his time, admired as a follower of the formulas of the famous Venetian family of artists, especially in his series of Old Testament themes set in lush landscapes. He lived in several Spanish cities, moving from his native Murcia to Toledo at a very young age, where he was already in 1600. If the fame of the Bassano family's works was enormous throughout Spain, the climate in the Castilian city must have been particularly receptive to their painting, as the works of the best masters who worked there attest. It is therefore not surprising that Orrente, who shortly afterwards travelled to Italy, went to Venice, where we find him as early as 1605. It is quite reasonable to think that he passed through the workshop of Leandro Bassano, whom Jusepe Martínez classified as his master. In 1607 he was already back in Spain, settled in Murcia. He continued to visit other Spanish cities, especially Toledo and Valencia, although he must also have spent time in Madrid. During his stay in Venice he must not only have learnt the Bassano family's pictorial manner but also took on board their conception of painting as a market-oriented activity. Contemporary inventories cite a large number of works by Orrente, so we can deduce that in order to produce such a large output the painter must have had a very well-established workshop that repeated the models established by the master. This circumstance also explains the enormous differences in quality that can be found in the catalogued works of this artist. However, although he was already noted in ancient sources for his Bassanesque canvases, Orrente also demonstrated his expertise and versatility in other types of work. Having had first-hand knowledge of the creations of the great Venetian masters, he was able to adopt the teachings of Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese for his works. Furthermore, his possible visit to Rome placed him in a privileged position to become familiar with the development of Caravaggist painting and the interest in naturalism, characteristics that he was able to add to his own works. Works by Pedro Orrente are now in the Prado Museum, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Fine Arts Museums of Bilbao and Valencia and the National Gallery of Denmark, among many others.