On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P00739
- Author
- Goya y Lucientes, Francisco de (Spanish)
- Title
- The Duke and Duchess of Osuna and their Children
- Chronology
- 1787-1788
- Technique
- Óleo
- Support
- Lienzo
- Measures
- 225 cm x 174 cm
- School
- Española
- Theme
- Retrato
- On display
- Yes
- Procedence
- Madrid, palacio de los duques de Osuna, 1787. Madrid, venta de la colección Osuna, 1897. Retirado de la venta y donado, en 1897, por el duque de Tamames demás herederos del XII duque de Osuna, fallecido en 1882 sin descendencia, al Ministerio de Fomento, para que figurase entre las obras de Goya del Museo del Prado, donde ingresó ese mismo año.
A portrait of the Duke of Osuna, Pedro Téllez Girón (1755-1807); his wife, the Countess-Duchess of Benavente, Josefa Alonso de Pimentel (1752-1834) and their four children: Francisco de Borja (1785-1820), the following Duke of Osuna; Pedro de Alcántara (1786-1851), the future Prince of Anglona; Maria Manuela (1783-1838) and Joaquina (1784-1851), the future Marchioness of Santa Cruz.
As exemplary enlightened aristocrats of their time, the Duke and Duchess of Osuna were among Goya's first protectors. Their closeness to the painter is clear in how intimately each is portrayed, with a perfect of individualization of each personality within the family group. The painter uses grayish and greenish tones with a light, subtle and precise technique, masterfully rendering the fabrics, lace and objects.
Family portraits were practically unknown in Spain when this one was made, and it is thought that Goya make have drawn his compositional models from Flemish or English examples.
