Allegory on the End of the War of the Spanish Succession

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Artist Paolo de Matteis(Italian (Neapolitan), 1662–1728)Italian (Neapolitan), 1662–1728

CultureItalian

Titles

Allegory on the End of the War of the Spanish Succession

Datec. 1714

PlaceNaples, Italy

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsImage: 30 × 40 in. (76.2 × 101.6 cm)
Frame: 36 1/8 × 46 1/4 × 2 5/8 in. (91.8 × 117.5 × 6.7 cm)

Credit LineSarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston

Object numberBF.1980.4

Current Location

The Audrey Jones Beck Building

214 Blaffer Galleries

On view

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Department

Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation

Object Type

PAINTING

DescriptionThis painting is a careful copy by Paolo de Matteis of his large picture, now destroyed, which celebrated the end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14). De Matteis has featured himself prominently in the picture, accompanied by an ape, the symbol of artistic imitation. He is painting the accord between the two dynasties at the heart of the pan-European conflict: the Bourbons of France and Spain and the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire. As a result of the peace treaties, a Bourbon king remained on the throne in Spain, but the Holy Roman Empire gained control of the Spanish viceroyalty of Naples. The flanking figures of Truth and Peace dispel the vices and horrors of war. Presiding over the peace at the upper right are the three theological virtues: Hope, Faith, and Charity. At the upper left, the figures signal the agricultural plenty that comes with peace. The animals at the lower right allude to the biblical verse, "now the lion will lie down with the lamb."
Provenance[P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London]; purchased by the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, 1980.
Exhibition History"The Art of Peace. Diplomacy Secrets and Treasures," Petit Palais, Paris, October 19, 2016–January 15, 2017.

"Hidden Layers: Painting and Process in Europe, 1500–1800," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 26–September 3, 2018.
Published References Clifton, James. “Paolo Matteis’s Allegory of the End of the War of the Spanish Succession." https://static.mfah.com/documents/clifton-paolo-de-matteis-s-allegory-of-the-end-of-the-war-of-the-spanish-succession.8887257047481412473.pdf.

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