Self-portrait
Ca. 1856. Oil on canvas.Room 062A
The Sevillian master depicts himself in a bust portrait against a neutral background. He wears a simple frock coat with a velvet collar and bow tie. Together with his abundant, somewhat tousled hair and his characteristic moustache and goatee, his features already show signs of aging, as he appears to be in his fifties. His figure, which is slightly drawn from the bottom upwards, the slightly frowning brow and the seriousness of his expression give his countenance a rather proud and distant expression.
Esquivel´s work is truly unique in Spanish painting of the first half of the 19th century. From his youth, the Sevillian artist demonstrated a real obsession with his own image, producing a large number of self-portraits throughout his career. This is the best and most honest of them all. It is also his last known self-portrait.
Artistas pintados: retratos de pintores y escultores del siglo XIX en el Museo del Prado, Madrid, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Dirección General de Bellas Artes y Bienes Culturales, 1997, p.82,83
