The Life and Art of Francisco Ribalta

A dramatic change in Spanish painting took place at the beginning of the seventeenth century. At the center of this transformation from Italianized Spanish mannerism to the spiritualized realism of Spanish Baroque painting was the painter Francisco Ribalta (1565-1628).
In view of Ribalta's basic importance in the history of Spanish Baroque painting, a thorough monographic study of the life and art of the artist has here been undertaken. The text consists of five chapters. Chapter I, The Early Life of Francisco Ribalta and His Family, 1565-81, introduces the earliest known facts regarding Francisco's life and upbringing. Chapter II, Ribalta's Early Works, 1581/82-1598/99, probes the painter's formative years in and around Madrid, and in particular his association with the Escorial school. Chapter III, Ribalta's First Valencian Period, 1598/99-1611, traces the artist's early years in Valencia with special emphasis upon his relationship with and works for the Colegio de Corpus Christi. It considers how Ribalta's paintings began to evolve from a manneristic toward a Counter-Reformation statement. Chapter IV, Ribalta's Mature Style, 1612-28, studies the dramatic stylistic change in Ribalta's works around 1612-15 and his emergence as a fully Baroque artist. Attention is placed upon the continuing debate over the influence of the Italian painter Caravaggio on Ribalta's style. A final Chapter, V, The Ribaltesque Circle, explores the master's immediate legacy through the lives and art of his disciples and followers: Francisco's son, Juan Ribalta, Vicente Castello, Gregorio Bausa, and Urbano Vos.
Six Appendices follow: (A) Documents. (B) The Controversy over Francisco Ribalta's True Patria. (C) The Colegio de Pintores of Valencia. (D) Checklist of Ribaltesque Drawings. (E) Checklist of Ribaltesque Prints. (F) Abdon Castaneda, His Art and a Catalogue of His Works.
An extensive Catalogue Raisonne is divided into the following sections: Accepted Works of Francisco Ribalta; Accepted Works of Juan Ribalta; Lost Works of Francisco and Juan Ribalta; Accepted and Lost Works of the Ribaltescos; Rejected and Unattributable Works.
A full Bibliography and a corpus of illustrations complete the study.