Las dos niñas - two paintings by José Claudio Antolínez, circa 1660

These two charming paintings - both in the collection of the Prado - are presumed to be of sisters and were, until recently, thought to be by the hand of Velázquez.

***

José Claudio Antolínez (baptized 7 November 1635, Madrid – 30 May 1675, Madrid), Spanish painter of the Baroque period. He received his early training at the studio of Francisco Rizi. His mature style had a softness and sweetness reminiscent of the work of Murillo. But it seems his temperament was anything but sweet, and he was known for his arrogance and vanity, his constant sarcasm, and for playing cruel jokes on his colleagues, all of which gained him many enemies. He died at the age of only thirty-nine, apparently from a fever brought on by exhaustion and from wounds suffered in a fencing bout.