Martín Fernández de Navarrete (copy)
Ca. 1881. Oil on canvas.On display elsewhere
The painting depicts Martín Fernández de Navarrete y Jiménez de Tejada (Ábalos, La Rioja, 1765 – Madrid, 1844). He was a sailor, hydrographer, writer and academic who joined the Navy at the age of 15. However, he was forced to leave active duty due to health problems and so devoted himself to historical research. In 1789 he was commissioned by the Ministry of the Navy to search the national archives and gather all the documents and information relating to the maritime history of Spain. He worked on this task for three years, during which he discovered the journals of Columbus´s first and third voyages. He returned to active duty in the Navy, being promoted to the rank of captain and developing a successful career in the Navy Office. In 1808 he resigned from the positions he held before recognising Joseph Bonaparte. In 1814 he became secretary of the Academy of San Fernando, and from 1824 until his death, he was director of the Academy of History. His publications include the Collection of voyages and discoveries that Spaniards have made by sea since the end of the 15th century (Madrid, 1825–37); an excellent Life of Cervantes, published in 1819, in connection with an edition of Don Quixote, brought out by the Spanish Academy; Collection of unpublished documents, written in collaboration with others; Dissertation on the history of nautical science, and Spanish maritime library. The last two were published after his death, in 1846 and 1851 respectively.
