ESPINOSA, Juan Bautista de
Spanish painter. Details of his life are scarce. He is documented in Madrid and Toledo between 1628 and 1659. He was probably an orphan of humble origins, being brought up by Eugenia de Lievana, sister of the Madrid silversmith Onofre de Espinosa. He married in 1628, the same year as Antonio Ponce, who was probably of a similar age, and like Ponce appears to have specialised in still-lifes in response to the demand for such works following the death of Juan van der Hamen in 1631.
While he is recorded as having painted religious pictures and portraits (untraced), he is only known today for his still-life paintings. Documents relating to another artist of the same name, known as Juan de Espinosa, dating from 1628 to 1659, concern a different painter.
