GUEST WORK
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez
"A Sybil"
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Painted from a live model, this work is much more than a portrait. Seen in profile and holding a small writing board in her left hand, the female figure is identified as a sibyl, a figure of classical mythology attributed with powers of divination. Sibyls became synonymous with prophecies in Christian iconography, appearing repeatedly in the art of the Renaissance and the Baroque.
With a restrained colour palette and a very fine pictorial layer that takes full advantage of the texture of the canvas, this painting only appears documented in the Spanish Royal Collections from the 18th century, with nothing known of its original location or function. In technique and colour, it is similar to other works by Velázquez of the early 1630s.


OPENING | 28th September
18h00 Welcome speeches
18h30 Lecture "A Sybil by Diego Velázquez" by Javier Portús Pérez (Museo Nacional del Prado) (in spanish)
19h00 Music - David Carmona and Tino di Geraldo: Un sueño de locura +INFO


ORGANIZATION:
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga
Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte – Gobierno de España
Acción Cultural Española, AC/E

COLLABORATION:
Embajada de España en Portugal





Exhibition booklet