Spanish School Inscribed: ‘Obrar Y Callar’ or ‘Shut up and Work !’

Period: 1700-1800

Origin: Spain

Medium: Oil on canvas ( framed ), Oil on canvas

Dimension: 37 x 27 cm (14⁵/₈ x 10⁵/₈ inches)

Provenance: Ex Private Spanish collection

Literature: cf: This marvellously earthy painting seems to be a caricature of an artist’s lot in life. ‘Obrar Y Callar’ (or ‘shut up and work’) hangs on a scroll above the bent-backed painter as he walks through the pit, dodging what rains down upon him. Scatological subjects are more common in Dutch and Flemish paintings and engravings. The present picture appears to be Spanish in origin making it rather rare. Though the identity of the artist is unknown, it would seem likely that he was inspired by northern artists' work. The painting of monkeys, held by the unfortunate painter similarly points to northern precedents (David Teniers the Younger for example) who usually poked fun at human behaviour. The metaphor behind the three monkeys is probably meant to mirror the artist’s predicament.