La decoración de San Antonio de los Portugueses de Madrid (1660-1702)

Abstract

The decoration of San Antonio de los Portugueses is the result of a unitary process initiated towards 1660, after his construction and first decoration (1624-1633), and whose purpose was to entirely paint its interior. Economic difficulties put an end to the pictorial works by Francisco Rizi and Juan Carreño de Miranda (1662-1666), and so this stage finished with the placing of some stucco reliefs and the frieze above the niches, realized by Juan Bautista Morelli (1668). In the reign of Doña Mariana of Austria we see little improvement, except for the decoration of the lateral altars and the creation of a Hospital for German subjects. However, in the time of King Carlos II, and especially under the patronage of his second wife, Doña María Ana of Neoburg, the church reached its present appearance as far as painting was concerned, thanks to the participation of Luca Giordano (1699 and 1701). lt was then necessary to modify the inner architecture of the temple, dismantling the altarpieces and renovating them completely. The decoration, which would remain unaltered until 1762, was also properly unified. A reading of the documents at the Archivo de la Hermandad del Refugio y Piedad provides new interpretations of some issues.