Allegory of Water

This painting belongs to the series The Four Elements painted in the early eighteenth century for the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid. The series consists of Air (by Palomino), Water (by Ezquerra), Earth (by Vaccaro) and Fire (by Palomino).

This wooded landscape with the ocean in the background is the setting for a group of maritime allegories. In the foreground, a male figure next to some rapids personifies one of the great rivers that exist in Nature, as was the customary representation during the Classical period. Various elements and animals related to water, such as turtles and seashells, are visible beside him. In the background, Neptune, king of the sea, rides a carriage pulled by sea horses and lead by tritons blowing their conch shells. He carries his traditional trident. This completes the symbolic view of all waters, both sweet and salty, from rivers and seas.

This painting clearly shows how Ezquerra’s style was influenced by the Venetians, especially in the fluid technique and intense colors, which he learned by studying paintings from that Italian school in the Spanish Royal Collection.