Bidspirit auction | Pedro Núñez de Villavicencio (Seville,

Pedro Núñez de Villavicencio (Seville, 1644-Madrid, 1695) - Young People Eating Fruit - 18th Century Sevillian School - 17th-century Spanish Baroque school. Monumental oil on canvas, 165 x 130 cm, framed - A faithful witness to Murillo's artistic heritage. Born in Seville, he was a member of a prominent Andalusian noble family, in which capacity he was admitted in 1660 as a knight of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. Once in Malta, he came into contact with the Calabrian painter Mattia Preti, who was on the island, summoned by the Grand Master to decorate the priory church of Valletta. For his great dedication to decorating the church's vaults and altars, Preti was named a knight ”of grace,” that is, appointed by the grace of the Grand Master, not created a knight for his noble and military merits. Núñez de Villavicencio, who was a knight of ”justice,” became a true disciple of the Italian. Bibliography: González Ramos, Roberto (Seville, 1999). Pedro Núñez de Villavicencio. Gentleman painter. Provenance: Former German noble collection, currently in an important private art gallery in Barcelona.