Les noces de Cana
Juan de Valdés Leal: 1622–1690
Other names (21)
Don Juan de Valdes, Juan de Leal Valdes, Juan De Nisa Leal, Juan de Nisa Valdes Leal, Juan de Nisa y Leal Valdés, Juan de Nisa y Valdés, Juan de Nisa y Valdés Leal, Juan de Valdés, Juan de Valdes-Leal, Juan de Valdés Leal Niza, Juan De Valdes Nica, Juan de Valdés Nica Leal, Juan de Valdes Nisa Leal, Juan de Valdés Niza Leal, Juan De Valdoes Leal, Juan Valdes, Juan Valdes-Leal, Juan Vandes, Valdes, Valdés Leal, Valdez
Biography
Juan de Valdés Leal (4 May 1622 – 15 October 1690) was a Spanish painter and etcher of the Baroque era.
Valdés was born in Seville in 1622. He became a painter, sculptor, and architect. By his twenties, he was studying under Antonio del Castillo in Córdoba.
Among his works are History of the Prophet Elias for the church of the Carmelites; Martyrdom of St. Andrew for the church of San Francesco in Córdoba; and Triumph of the Cross for la Caridad in Seville. He became friends with Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, who had a very different style; Leal tended to paint somber and dramatic subjects, while Murillo's style was peaceful and serene. After Leal returned to Seville in 1656, he and Murillo founded the Seville Academy of Art; the two also collaborated with sculptor Pedro Roldán on a large commission for the Hospital de la Caridad.
Several of his paintings treat the subjects of vanitas, transience and mortality. Two examples are In ictu oculi ("in the blink of an eye") and Finis gloriae mundi ("end of the world's glory"), painted for the Charity Hospital in Seville.
He married Isabella Carasquilla in 1647. She was also a painter.
Wikipedia contributors. Opening excerpt, formatted for reading. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision.
Influenced by
- Juan del Castilloeditorial inference
Evidence
The biography lists Valdés Leal among Castillo's pupils. Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending. Teaching does not by itself establish artistic influence.
Artworks by year
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Museums & collections
Documented holdings of works attributed to Juan de Valdés Leal. Check the museum’s record for current display information.
- Museo Nacional del Prado13 recorded works
- Musée du Louvre3 recorded works
- musée Goya — Castres2 recorded works
- J. Paul Getty Museum1 recorded work
- Musée de Grenoble1 recorded work
- musée de Tessé — Le Mans1 recorded work
- Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia1 recorded work
- National Gallery of Art1 recorded work
- Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts1 recorded work
- Saint Louis Art Museum1 recorded work
- The Cleveland Museum of Art1 recorded work
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art1 recorded work
- Yale University Art Gallery1 recorded work
Sources 9
- Wikidata (CC0)
- Spanish painters: selected museum and authority research
- National Gallery of Art
- Museum authority country review
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Museum authority country review
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Expanded artwork research — official museum evidence
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Art, literature & history