Six centuries of artistic creation
1630-1684 Portugal
The basket with mushrooms is part of the themes recorded in the Will and Inventory of Baltazar Figueira as "Fruteiro de Cogumelos", evaluated at 1000 reis. Josefa and her father worked together, using the same models in various compositions. Although this is a workshop painting, Josefa suggests a work "au naturel". The various elements, arranged in a basket placed atop a table, a space for the construction of perspective and depth, stand out from the chiaroscuro contrasts denoting a clear Spanish tenebrist influence. In a careful exercise of observation, the mushrooms are painted as seen from various angles. The taste for detailed execution is visible in the basket's minutely represented wicker, where a concern for light and shadow "materialise" the wicker's texture. In her work Josefa succeeds in integrating, feeling and interpreting the baroque spirit and aesthetics with a highly original visual language.
| Oil on canvas, 62 x 51 cm
| BEJA. Rainha D. Leonor (Queen Leonor) Regional Museum
