Francisco Gómez de Valencia (Granada 1657 - 1750) 'Memento Mori' Oil on burlap. Signed and dated 1681 on the back. 140 x 107 cm. An exquisite depiction of the transience of existence, painted by Francisco Gómez de Valencia and dated 1681 on the back of the canvas: 'Franc• Gomez fat. año [year] 1681'. This Spanish Baroque painter, born in Granada in 1657, was the son of the painter Felipe Gómez de Valencia and followed his father's style as a member of the family workshop, one of the most active Granada workshops in the second half of the 17th century, influenced, like many others of the period, by Alonso Cano, 'el Racionero' who was artistically dominant at the time. In 1679, his father passed away, and he took over the workshop until at least 1685, the date of the last documented appearance of the painter in Granada. The oil painting we have here for auction dates from this period. Professors Gloria Espinosa and María Teresa Suárez, in a recent and highly interesting article (2023) in which they reveal new documentary sources about the artist's biography and a previously unknown canvas, conclude that 'Francisco Gómez de Valencia must have arrived in Mexico around 1687' and not in 1699, as previously thought in other studies. The painter, after three undocumented years, reappears in 1688 in Mexico City, in a document which reports on his genealogy, previously unknown until the publication of said article. Further information provided by Espinosa and Suárez regarding the Granadan painter is from 1693 when he was appointed Family of the Holy Inquisition, a position that provided economic stability, 'in addition to the promotion and social prestige he desired,' reasons why he is likely to have left his home town. The last piece of information about Gómez de Valencia, also in New Spain, dates back to 1711 where his delicate health at the age of 54 is documented. Of his probable extensive production, eleven canvases are currently kept in the Museum of Fine Arts of Granada —among them, the 'Virgin of Sorrows' and the 'Lamentation before Dead Christ,' with clear influences from his father, from Flemish painters, and 'el Racionero' — and the 'Assumption of the Virgin' in the National Museum of San Carlos, Mexico. In addition, we would like to highlight the 'Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple,' attributed by Raquel Prados in 1999, and another artwork which was unknown until last year when Espinosa and Suárez brought it to light. It is an 'Ascension of Christ,' which is reproduced in the aforementioned article, and is kept in the National Center for Conservation and Registration of Movable Artistic Heritage of Mexico, where, along with more than five hundred paintings, it had remained shut up in the so-called 'Pandora's Box' for almost half a century. For more information, please refer to the article, which we cite in the bibliography. To these two canvases, we now add the 'Memento Mori' presented in this auction, further enriching a catalog that surely has much more to discover. It is essential to note that our painting is dated, unlike most of his corpus, allowing us to place it with total certainty in Granada, as in 1681, as Raquel Prados reports, he 'resided in Placeta de Chavarría with his mother, brothers, and Ana de Valencia, his wife.' By that time, in fact, our painter had already taken over the family workshop two years earlier and had taken on the commissions that Felipe Gómez de Valencia had left behind orphaned. In this painting we can appreciate the sense of sweetness in colours and an ease in drawing that he inherited from his father. With delicate strokes, he captures a baroque, theatrical scene, almost like a meditation from cell in a convent, in a still life, indoor setting. The human soul or guardian angel reminds a repentant knight of the transience of life, emphasising the vanity of existence. In a room with a bed and canopy, the praying figure is led by the song of the angel, who hints with a pointing hand that nature decomposes, but that the soul can be immortal; it shows him a still life full of symbols: at the centre a skull or skeleton shines, a 'memento mori,' a reminder that death is inevitable; an hourglass reminds him of the passage of time; it rests on a book, which traditionally alludes to excessive pride in learning. But everything passes. And after these, other objects allude hopefully to the afterlife. The painting has a moralistic message that encourages the viewer to consider their own mortality and how they live their life. This still life compares the vain nature of mortal life with the possibility of eternal life. The Cross is presented as the purpose of his commitment, as well as the rosary that will allow him to live in prayer, and the whip hanging from the table, inviting him to live in penance and mortification. It seems that the painter is devoted to the Virgin Mary, whom he places above, being crowned as Queen and Lady by the Holy Trinity. To conclude, this serene painting does not suggest decay or sadness but carries a legacy of hopeful aspirations beyond life itself.   Reference bibliography: - Espinosa Spínola, Gloria y Suárez Molina, María Teresa. (2023). Francisco Gómez de Valencia, un pintor del siglo XVII entre Granada y México. “Boletín de Arte-UMA”, n.º 44, Departamento de Historia del Arte, Universidad de Málaga, pp. 75-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.24310/ba.44.2023.16195 - Prados, Raquel. (1999). Un lienzo inédito de Francisco Gómez de Valencia. “Cuadernos De Arte De La Universidad De Granada”, 30, 303–310. https://revistaseug.ugr.es/index.php/caug/article/view/9101