Queen Barbara of Portugal
1725. Oil on canvas.Room 022
Barbara of Portugal (1711–1758) became queen consort of Spain in 1746 on the accession to the throne of her husband, Ferdinand VI. As daughter of King John V of Portugal and Maria Anna Josepha of Austria, her marriage was part of the ambitious diplomatic strategy devised by Isabella Farnese to unite her children with the major ruling houses of Europe.
The exchange of princesses thus took place in January 1729, with Barbara travelling to Spain to marry the then-Infante Ferdinand, and Maria Anna Victoria of Bourbon going to Lisbon to marry the Portuguese heir, Joseph of Portugal.
In the context of preliminary negotiations, Domenico Duprà was commissioned by the Spanish ambassador at the court in Lisbon, the Marquis of Capicciolatro, to paint portraits of the Portuguese prince and princess, which would be sent to Spain in 1725. The image of the future Joseph I is now in the collections of Patrimonio Nacional (inv. num. 10002068), while that of Barbara of Portugal is on display at the Museo del Prado. In the latter, which was in the collection of Isabella Farnese, Duprà depicts the young infanta wearing a blue, ermine-lined mantle, a symbol of her royal lineage, accompanied by a puppy resting peacefully on a crimson velvet cushion. The image reflects the elegance and delicacy of this Italian painter, who was notably influenced by the French portrait tradition.
García Pérez, Noelia, The female perspective III. Queen Isabella Farnese (1692-1766), Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2025, p.20-27; 35 n.4
