Scene from the Story of Balaam; and The Sacrifice of Gideon

Pedro Orrente was born in Murcia to Jaime Orrente, a merchant from Marseille, and Isabel Jumilla of Murcia. Active in Toledo, Valencia and likely Madrid, he established himself as a successful painter, so closely following Venetian artists of the time that he became known as ‘the Spanish Bassano’. According to Jusepe Martínez, Orrente studied under Leandro Bassano, son of Jacopo Bassano, while travelling in Italy, likely around 1607 (J. Martínez, Discursos practicables del nobilísimo arte de la pintura, Madrid, 1866, p. 154).

This pair was acquired in Madrid by Robert Spencer, 2nd Duke of Sunderland, during his tenure as Ambassador to Spain (September 1671- May 1672) and brought to Althorp House. Kenneth J. Garlick’s 1976 catalogue of Althorp’s pictures records both works in the house inventories of 1756 and 1750. In 1750 they appear as ‘Tobit and the Angell Venetian’ in Mr. Spencer’s bedchamber and ‘Balaam and the Angell Venetian over the Door’ in the waiting room. In 1750 they are listed as ‘Gideon and the Angel by Bassan’ in the yellow bedchamber and ‘The Angel and Balaam. Over the Door’ in the waiting room (loc. cit.).