Don Juan and Constance, by Backer (1651, c.)

Don Juan y Constanza, de Adriaensz Backer (c. 1650)

Title

Don Juan and Constance, by Backer (1651, c.)

Creator

Backer, Jacob Adriaensz (c. 1609-1651)

Date

1651, c.

Description

Description at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts:
"This is probably a portrait of a husband and wife dressed up as characters from a Dutch adaptation of La Gitanilla by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. The story tells of the romance between Don Juan, a Spanish nobleman, and Constance, a princess raised by gypsies. The painting represents their first encounter, arranged by Cupid. The unpicked rose in her hand symbolically serves as a happy allusion to love, courtship, and propriety. A combination of portrait and allegory, the scene would have been highly appropriate for an engaged or married couple."

Notice the old woman at the background, in typical celestine position.

Format

Oil on canvas.
Dimensions: 70.5 × 59.4 cm (27 3/4 × 23 3/8 in.)

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