Painting crowned queen of the Arts

This fascinating allegorical scene was attributed to Juan de Valdés Leal when it first appeared at auction in 1967. Valdés Leal was a contemporary and rival of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and was known for his dramatic, often gruesome, vanitas paintings. A note in the Frick Photoarchive attributes the painting to Matías de Arteaga y Alfaro (1633–1703), and identifies the King presenting Painting with a crown as Charles II, although the figure's full suit of armor recalls the formal portraits of his father, Philip IV. The two putti in the foreground hold up a small tablet, that was likely signed by the now unknown artist and includes a barely legible date of '169[...]', which fits well with the style of this late seventeenth-century painting.