Looking into the Eyes of Evil? El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos (*1540/41 in Candia [Iráklion] – †1614 in Toledo) ‘Portrait of a Cardinal, Probably Cardinal Don Fernando Niño De Guevara’ (Circa 1600) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Sanctum: The Journal of Religion and Spirituality at Columbia University (Spring 2013)
24 Pages Posted: 20 Jan 2020
Date Written: November 18, 2012
Abstract
One of El Greco’s most mysterious portraits, his “Portrait of a Cardinal” reveals a plethora of social and political facts and facets under the reign of Philipp III of Spain and the complex interplay between Spanish aristocracy, the Spanish Crown under the Casa de Austria, the Holy Inquisition, and the Vatican. While it is not entirely certain whether the subject archbishop of Toledo is Don Fernando Niño de Guevara, Don Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas, or Don Gaspar de Quiroga y Vela, Theotokópoulos’ masterful portraiture laid bare a shocking depth of psychological detail amounting to a complete psychoanalysis of the sitter as well as social commentary. His wealth of ‘hidden transcript’ may well be the reason why he lost the Court’s favor despite early and widely recognized talent and found his career largely confined to the city of Toledo – meaningful but far from real influence and significance in his day.
Keywords: El Greco, portrait, inquisition, Don Fernando Niño de Guevara, Don Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas, Don Gaspar de Quiroga y Vela, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sammlung Römerholz Winterthur, Museo de El Greco in Toledo
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