A portrait of Ignacio, the artist´s youngest son and one of his favorite models, shown here at the age of eleven. The profusion of child portraits by Pinazo is based on his capacity to capture the freshness and spontaneity of children´s acts, making works of great intimacy and closeness. This portrait may be one of the painter´s finest and it reveals his most personal characteristics. The dark ton
In the mid-nineteenth century Federico de Madrazo produced some of the most successful portraits of the Spanish bourgeoisie during the reign of Isabel II (1833-68), presenting them with the opulence that their social status demanded. In addition to his remarkable artistic ability, his female portraits are outstanding for their depiction of the accessories and adornments. These details are emphasis
A portrait of the Duke of Osuna, Pedro Téllez Girón (1755-1807); his wife, the Countess-Duchess of Benavente, Josefa Alonso de Pimentel (1752-1834) and their four children: Francisco de Borja (1785-1820), the following Duke of Osuna; Pedro de Alcántara (1786-1851), the future Prince of Anglona; Maria Manuela (1783-1838) and Joaquina (1784-1851), the future Marchioness of Santa
This preparatory sketch for the large-scale canvas painted by Madrazo in Rome (also on display in this room) reveals various differences with respect to the final composition. Madrazo gave more space to the tent in the upper part of the sketch, which he subsequently reduced. There are also differences in the figures and in the landscape with the camp on the far right, which he enlarged.
This is a modellino for the canvas commissioned by Charles IV during his exile in Rome for the ceiling of a room in the Palazzo di Spagna. The artist and his royal client’s tastes are revealed in the use of quintessentially Raphaelesque models, evident in the face of the woman and the poses of the two small putti holding up the cartouches.
This portrait of María Guerrero, Sorolla’s neighbour and friend, is probably the finest and most expressive example of the eminent actress’s lifelong obsession with her own image. From childhood, she had herself portrayed by some of the most famous painters of her time, many of whom were friends of her father, the set designer Ramón Guerrero. María Guerrero grew up in a cultur
This work shows politician, poet, playwright and tutor to Queen Elizabeth II, Manuel José Quntana (Madrid, April 11, 1772- Madrid, March 11, 1857) on the day of his coronation in the Senate as Illustrious Poet (March 25, 1855).
María Tomasa Palafox (1780-1835), Marchioness of Villafranca, is shown wearing a white empire-style dress and sitting on a red silk damask armchair, with her feet on a cushion. She is painting a portrait of her husband, Francisco de Borja Álvarez de Toledo y Gonzaga, XI Marquis of Villafranca. The Marchioness received an enlightened education from her mother, the Countess of Montijo.
This portrait of María Antonia Gonzaga y Caracciolo (1735-1801), the dowager Marchioness of Villafranca, corresponds to the period in which Goya executed his two portraits of her eldest son, José Álvarez de Toledo (one now in the Museo del Prado and the other in the Art Institute of Chicago). Her son was the eleventh Marquis of Villafranca and Duke of Alba through his marriage
These two paintings were first shown in Amsterdam in 1858. On that occasion the sitters were identified as Lambert Witsen and his wife Sara Nuyts owing to the woman`s purported similarity to the portrait of the latter (Amsterdam Historisch Museum, inv. SA 989) dated 1684 and included thus by Jan de Baen (1633-1702) in his work, Portrait of the Regents of the Spinhuis in Amsterdam.Moes (1897-1905)
These two paintings (P7607 and P7608) were first shown in Amsterdam in 1858. On that occasion the sitters were identified as Lambert Witsen and his wife Sara Nuyts owing to the woman`s purported similarity to the portrait of the latter (Amsterdam Historisch Museum, inv. SA 989) dated 1684 and included thus by Jan de Baen (1633-1702) in his work, Portrait of the Regents of the Spinhuis in Amsterdam
The significance of this work is revealed by the evident contrast between the clothes of the lowly parents and the smart outfit of their granddaughter, possibly born of an illicit love affair involving the young woman who lies dying in a room at the General Hospital in Valencia. When it was shown at the 1897 National Exhibition, the critics praised its style and the modernity of the subject matter
A painter and teacher, Fernanda Francés enjoyed success and public recognition in the Spain of the Restoration. Specialising in flower painting and still lifes, and supported by clear critical acclaim, she won a second-class medal for this work at the 1890 National Exhibition. The profound realism of her art attracted a broad private clientele who kept her works in demand for several decade
In the work the corpses of two castaways are represented, the youngest with his chest exposed. Both lie between the nets and tackle that are scattered on the bottom of a boat guided by a sailor in the middle of the sea. For the realization of this painting, Barbara made several excursions to the coastal towns, neighboring Rome. The painting was highly praised by the critics of its time, where they
Fillol presents an uncompromising image of female prostitution that denounces human exploitation and the personal degradation of the victim. Although critics recognised the painting’s audacity and praised its naturalism, the academic prize awarded to Fillol – the second medal at the 1897 National Exhibition – was not accompanied by any financial reward, and the work was indeed not bought until 191
This is the sketch for the first history painting to be awarded the top prize at the first National Fine Arts Exhibition in 1856, a work (P5726). This piece not only reveals compositional changes during the creative process but also shows that the artist initially envisaged a work of Spanish Baroque austerity, although eventually he inclined towards French models.
In 1895, Elena Brockmann, a painter from Madrid who had studied first at the Academy of San Fernando and later under Joaquín Sorolla in Rome, became the first Spanish woman to submit a history painting to a National Exhibition. Three years earlier she had presented this costumbrista painting, in which a large number of figures are shown in a space with marked perspective. Her ambitious comp