Juan de la Corte (Antwerp, circa 1585 - Madrid, 1662) 'David and Bathsheba' Oil on canvas. 152.2 x 189 cm. Published in the catalogue of the exhibition 'Imágenes de un siglo. Luces del barroco. Pintura española del siglo XVII'(Images of a Century. Lights of the Baroque. Spanish Painting of the 17th Century), which took place at the University of Salamanca in 2006. Born in Antwerp, a fact which is documented in his will, Juan de la Corte probably trained in Flanders but developed his career mainly in Spain, especially at the Court in Madrid. As indicated in the exhibition catalogue: 'His activity for the Crown of Spain, which continued from 1615, focused mainly on the Buen Retiro Palace, for which he made more than 50 paintings, of which almost all are lost according to the royal inventories.' Regarding his favourite themes, Juan de la Corte himself, as reported by the Prado, confessed that he 'focused on 'architecture, battles, and countries,' genres in which he was highly valued by his contemporaries.' Specifically, the 'proliferation of architectural perspectives' is a prominent aspect of his work, which can be seen by taking a visual stroll through the artwork we have here. It is interesting to note that, as the catalogue states, the biblical and historical paintings of Juan de la Corte generally form part of series, some of which have King David as the protagonist, one of the most iconographically rich characters of the Old Testament, as in the case of this painting. In the same collection as this painting, there is another signed by Juan de la Corte depicting David defeating Goliath, and the same subject is developed in another canvas, dated 1639, that is in a private collection.  In their catalogue of the artist's work, Ángulo and Pérez Sánchez also recorded a depiction of David and Bathsheba on the throne which was in the Buen Retiro and would also have been part of a series dedicated to the biblical king. As they continue to describe in the aforementioned catalogue: 'The scene we see here shows the moment when David observes Bathsheba, the wife of General Uriah, bathing in the garden as narrated in the Book of Kings (11.11,2-5). David fell in love with her and ordered her husband to fight in the most dangerous place on the battlefield, thus making sure he was killed. The prophet Nathan later reproached the king for his adultery, telling him that he would not escape the wrath of God, even if he repented. Generally, the scene takes place outdoors, in a garden where Bathsheba washes her feet in a basin or pool while being attended to by her maidservants. In this depiction, Juan de la Corte adheres to the conventional iconographic model, although he undoubtedly distinguishes himself from most Spanish painters of his time by portraying Bathsheba almost naked, covered by veils or semi-transparent cloths. One of her maidservants combs her long hair, and another brings her a tray with a pearl necklace, while from one of the windows of his palace, on the left, King David attentively observes the scene. In the case of this painting, the architecture and landscape in which the painter has placed the scene is also remarkable, giving us the chance to appreciate a good example of a Spanish garden from that time. Juan de la Corte tended to frame his scenes in architectural backgrounds, frequently taken from prints by artists such as Vredeman de Vries and Cornelis Galle. Examples of the former served as models for his garden scenes.' Bibliographical references: - 'Imágenes de un siglo. Luces del barroco. Pintura española del siglo XVII'. Salamanca, 2006. - Museo del Prado. (s.f.). 'Corte, Juan de la'. https://www.museodelprado.es/aprende/enciclopedia/voz/corte-juan-de-la/4236322c-50b0-4cfa-aa66-36a16bb44dda