Diego Velázquez, 'Philip IV hunting Wild Boar (La Tela Real)', probably 1632-7
About the work
Overview
Philip IV, King of Spain, and his entourage are hunting boar in a forest clearing. The King appears on horseback just right of centre, weapon pointed at a charging boar, accompanied by his first minister and possibly his two brothers. To the far left another boar is being attacked by a pack of dogs.
Boar hunting was an expensive activity and such events were traditionally staged to mark special occasions. A large canvas enclosure – the tela real (‘royal canvas’) – would be erected and wild boar driven into it. Queen Isabella and her companions watch from their carriages.
In the foreground, a crowd enjoys the spectacle of the hunt, though many are not paying attention: a boy in white stares towards us, three noblemen chat and a man loads up a mule.
The painting was commissioned for the King’s hunting lodge, Torre de la Parada, on the outskirts of Madrid.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Philip IV hunting Wild Boar (La Tela Real)
- Artist
- Diego Velázquez
- Artist dates
- 1599 - 1660
- Date made
- probably 1632-7
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 182 × 302 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1846
- Inventory number
- NG197
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Commissioners
- Previous owners
- Subjects
- Frame
- 21st-century Replica Frame
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised by Allan Braham, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Spanish School’, London 1988; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
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2017Loan to Kingston Lacy (2017)Kingston Lacy (National Trust)21 February 2017 - 15 September 2017
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2021Loan to the Spanish Gallery, Auckland CastleAuckland Castle (The Church Commissioners)27 September 2021 - 25 April 2022
Bibliography
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1634J. Mateos, Origen y dignidad de la caza, Madrid 1634
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1644A. Martínez de Espinar, Arte de ballestería y montería, Madrid 1644
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1853National Gallery, Report from the Select Committee on the National Gallery, together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix, and Index, London 1853
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1853London, National Gallery Archive, NG15/3: Report from the Select Committee on the National Gallery, together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix, and Index, 1853
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1855W. Stirling-Maxwell, Velázquez and His Works, London 1855
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1896W. Armstrong, The Art of Velázquez, London 1896
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1906A. de Beruete y Moret, Velázquez, London 1906
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1925J. Allende-Salazar, Velazquez: Der Meisters Gemalde in 275 Abbildungen, Berlin 1925
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1927L. Justi, 'Die Landschaften des Velazquez', Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft, XLVIII, 1927, pp. 81-104
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1929L. Justi, 'Das Jagdbild des Velazquez in der Londoner National Gallery', Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft, L, 1929, pp. 255-9
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1943E.L. Ferrari, The Paintings and Drawings of Velázquez, Oxford 1943
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1944E.L. Ferrari, Velázquez, Barcelona 1944
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1952Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Spanish School, London 1952
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1963E. Callatay, 'De l'influence de Van Alsoot et de la Chasse au Sanglier de Velasquez', Bulletin des Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, XII, 1963, pp. 27-34
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1963E. du G. Trapier, 'Martínez del Mazo, paysagiste', Gazette des beaux-arts, VI, 1963, pp. 293-310
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1970N. MacLaren and A. Braham, The Spanish School, 2nd edn, London 1970
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1971S. Alpers, The Decoration of the Torre de La Parada, Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard 9, London 1971
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1973M. Haraszti-Takács, 'Die Anfänge der spanischen Landschaftsmalerei', Bulletin du Musée National de Varsovie, XIV/1-4, 1973, pp. 85-99
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1982E. Harris, Velázquez, Oxford 1982
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1983M. Helston, Spanish and Later Italian Paintings, London 1983
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1985J. Ingamells, The Wallace Collection: Catalogue of Pictures, vol. 1, British, German, Italian, Spanish, London 1985
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1986J. Brown, Velázquez: Painter and Courtier, New Haven 1986
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1988E.L. Ferrari, Velázquez, Geneva 1988
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1998Y. Bottineau, Velázquez, Paris 1998
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1999N. Glendinning, E. Harris and F. Russell, 'Lord Grantham and the Taste for Velázquez the Electrical Eel of the Day', The Burlington Magazine, CXLI/1159, 1999, pp. 598-605
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2000J.M. Pita Andrade and Á. Aterido (eds), Corpus Velazqueño: Documentos y textos, Madrid 2000
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2006F. Pacheco and A. Palomino, Lives of Velázquez, trans. N.A. Mallory, London 2006
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2006D. Carr (ed.), Velázquez (exh. cat. The National Gallery, 18 October 2006 - 21 January 2007), London 2006
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2009D. Carr, El Greco to Goya: Spanish Painting, London 2009
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.