Juan Pablo Salinas Madrid 1871-Rome 1946

The panel has been cradled and apart from a hairline crack emanating from the centre left (approx. 39cm.) is in good condition, flat and even. There are scattered spots of retouching visible under ultraviolet light, notably along the extreme edges, to the aforementioned crack and to a fine crack running approx. 12cm. from the lower edge. Apart from scattered spots of fine craquelure, this work is in good condition, with a strong surface and fine detail, and ready to hang.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Dressed for the bullring a matador takes leave of his family as his assistants (cuadrilla) wait patiently by the door. The matador wears his traje de luces ('suit of lights'), consisting of a silk jacket heavily embroidered in gold and skintight trousers; one of the cuadrilla holds his montera - a bicorne hat. As a pendant to the present work Salinas also painted the matador's triumphant return in similar style.

Bullfights were popular spectacles in ancient Rome, but it was in the Iberian Peninsula that these contests were fully developed. The Moors from North Africa who overran Andalusia in AD 711 changed bullfighting significantly from the brutish, formless spectacle practised by the conquered Visigoths to a ritualistic occasion observed in connection with feast days, on which the conquering Moors, mounted on highly trained horses, confronted and killed the bulls.

In modern bullfighting, six bulls, to be killed by three matadors, are usually required for one afternoon's corrida, and each encounter lasts about 15 minutes. At the appointed time, generally five in the afternoon, the three matadors, each followed by their assistants, the banderilleros and the picadors, march into the ring to the accompaniment of traditional paso doble (march rhythm) music.