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Butcher's Shop (Annibale Carracci)
Encyclopedia
The Butcher's Shop is a painting by the Italian
Baroque
painter Annibale Carracci
. Dating from the 1580s (probably 1583-1585), it is in the Christ Church Picture Gallery
, Oxford
.
The painting is connected to the contemporary Beaneater (Galleria Colonna), as both are very early examples of Italian genre painting
. The large size of the painting is exceptional for such a subject at this date, and it has been suggested it was commissioned by a butcher's guild
, or for use as a sign. Carracci was influenced in his depiction of everyday life subjects by Vincenzo Campi
and Bartolomeo Passarotti
, whom in fact the Butcher's Shop was originally attributed to. Carracci's ability to adapt his style is demonstrated, making it "lower" when concerning "lower", quasi-satirical subjects like the Mangiafagioli and the Butcher's Shop, while in his more academic works (such as the roughly contemporary Assumption of the Virgin
) he was able to use a more finished manner with the same ease.
It is claimed that members of the painter's family were used as models. Significant alterations to some figures are revealed by x-rays, and the hand on the edge of the table, now apparently belonging to the old woman, though not in proportion with the rest of her, may have originally have belonged to the butcher to the right of her.
The painting was in the collections of the Gonzaga
Dukes of Mantua and Charles I of England
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
painter Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci was an Italian Baroque painter.-Early career:Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna, and in all likelihood first apprenticed within his family...
. Dating from the 1580s (probably 1583-1585), it is in the Christ Church Picture Gallery
Christ Church Picture Gallery
Christ Church Picture Gallery is an art museum at Christ Church, one of the colleges of Oxford University in England. The gallery holds an important collection of about 300 Old Master paintings and nearly 2,000 drawings. It is one of the most important private collections in the United Kingdom...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
The painting is connected to the contemporary Beaneater (Galleria Colonna), as both are very early examples of Italian genre painting
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
. The large size of the painting is exceptional for such a subject at this date, and it has been suggested it was commissioned by a butcher's guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
, or for use as a sign. Carracci was influenced in his depiction of everyday life subjects by Vincenzo Campi
Vincenzo Campi
Vincenzo Campi was an Italian painter of the Renaissance from Cremona.His style merges Lombard with Mannerist styles, however, unlike his siblings, he is known for a series of canvases, mostly painted after 1570s , displaying genre scenes and local produce. Many set at a food store front of some...
and Bartolomeo Passarotti
Bartolomeo Passarotti
Bartolomeo Passarotti was an Italian painter of the mannerist period, who worked mainly in his native Bologna.He traveled to Rome in the mid-16th century, where he worked under Girolamo Vignola and Taddeo Zuccari. Upon returning to Bologna, he accumulated a large studio, and influenced many...
, whom in fact the Butcher's Shop was originally attributed to. Carracci's ability to adapt his style is demonstrated, making it "lower" when concerning "lower", quasi-satirical subjects like the Mangiafagioli and the Butcher's Shop, while in his more academic works (such as the roughly contemporary Assumption of the Virgin
Assumption of the Virgin (Carracci)
Two paintings by the Italian Baroque painter Annibale Carracci take as their subject the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.-The Prado painting:The first canvas was completed in 1590 and is now the Museo del Prado in Madrid.-The Rome painting:...
) he was able to use a more finished manner with the same ease.
It is claimed that members of the painter's family were used as models. Significant alterations to some figures are revealed by x-rays, and the hand on the edge of the table, now apparently belonging to the old woman, though not in proportion with the rest of her, may have originally have belonged to the butcher to the right of her.
The painting was in the collections of the Gonzaga
House of Gonzaga
The Gonzaga family ruled Mantua in Northern Italy from 1328 to 1708.-History:In 1433, Gianfrancesco I assumed the title of Marquis of Mantua, and in 1530 Federico II received the title of Duke of Mantua. In 1531, the family acquired the Duchy of Monferrato through marriage...
Dukes of Mantua and Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
.