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Baltazar Gomes Figueira

Baltazar Gomes Figueira (b. 1604, Óbidos/†1674, Óbidos), son of Paulo Gomes Figueira and Luísa Lopes and father of Josefa Ayala, who became known as Josefa d’Óbidos, was one of the leading figures of 17th century Portuguese culture and a renowned painter of still lifes.

Baltazar Gomes Figueira was a painter who embraced modernity in the artistic and historic context of his times.
The descendant of a relatively well-to-do family of artisans from the town of Óbidos, Figueira’s studies led to a military career and subsequent travels in Andalucía. He married a noblewoman from Seville and thus came into contact with painting. He went on to study art and fraternised with some of the leading figures in painting in Spain at the time, such as Francisco de Herrera, Juan del Castillo and Francisco de Zurbarán.
When he returned to his home town in 1634 he already enjoyed widespread fame, which gave him easy access to the House of Braganza, where he was accepted as a painter and valuer of luxury objects. In this phase he divided his time between Óbidos, Peniche, Coimbra, Alcobaça and the Court in Lisbon.

Baltazar Gomes Figueira and Alcobaça 
As a renowned artist active in the country’s central region, and working to commission, as was typical for the period, Figueira received a commission from the Monastery around 1650 for a painting entitled Our Lady of the Conception, featuring immaculist symbols..