Salvadora Torrá, widow of Camarón
Ca. 1829. Pastel on paper.Not on display
A bust study with a finished rendering of the head and a bare indication of the outline of the dress. The sitter appears to be about 65 years old. A braid holds the rest of her hair like a diadem, with curly locks hanging over her forehead. Two small earrings are her only adornment.
As first chamber painter, López took part in the appraisal of one of the elder Camarón’s canvases, and that is probably when he offered to paint doña Salvadora’s portrait as a present to a member of this family of artists from his own region. Thus, López’s friendship with his model, whom he undoubtedly know from his youth in Valencia -López had succeeded her father-in-law, José Camarón Bonanat (1731-1803), as director of the Academy of San Carlos- makes this superb portrait one of his most intimate depictions.
