Ferdinand VII, in the uniform of a captain-general
1814. Oil on canvas.On display elsewhere
Portrait of Ferdinand VII (El Escorial, Madrid, 1784–Madrid, 1833). King of Spain (1808, 1814–1833).
Depicted more than half-length, the King is wearing the captain-general uniform, upon the coat of which he wears the great crosses and sashes of Charles III and the laureate of Saint Ferdinand, as well as the grand cross of Isabella the Catholic and the insignia of the Golden Fleece, which hangs from his neck. His right hand rests on his baton, whereas his left hand holds his gloves and the tricorn hat of his uniform with his forearm. Behind him, the trunk of a tree and a cloudscape background can be seen. This is the best-known example of the first model of the official portrait that Vicente López painted for this monarch throughout his career, in his capacity as the king’s first royal painter. It can also be considered the first of a series of known versions of the royal effigy. Several replicas by the same author are known (P007022), as well as numerous copies which, logically, had to be multiplied to satisfy the demand of all the official institutions of the Kingdom, the rooms of which had to be presided over by the image of the new sovereign.
Díez, José Luis (dir.), Pintura del Siglo XIX en el Museo del Prado: catálogo general, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2015, p.330
