El Soplón
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| El Soplón | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | El Greco |
| Year | 1571-1572 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 60.5 cm × 50.5 cm (23.8 in × 19.9 in) |
| Location | Museo di Capodimonte, Naples |
El Soplón or Boy Blowing on an Ember[1] is a 1571-1572 oil on canvas painting by El Greco, almost certainly produced during his stay in Venice.[2] The work could emulate the ancient Greek artist Antiphilus, inspired by a passage in Pliny the Elder's Naturalis historia.[3] The painting is part of El Greco's rare Italian phase.[4] It and Portrait of Giulio Clovio are among the first of his paintings of figures. He later re-used the figure for The Fable (1580).[2]
The nocturnal scene features a boy holding a flaming ember in his left hand and a candle in his right hand.[5]
It may have been a direct commission from the Farnese family, though its origins are not known for sure.[6] It is traditionally thought to have been influenced by Jacopo Bassano, though recent studies have shown that it was instead an attempt to reconstruct a lost ancient Roman painting. Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis named several artists who depicted the same theme.[6] It formed part of the Farnese Collection. The painting was inherited by Charles of Bourbon in 1734 and moved to Naples. It is now in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples.[6]