| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | Spanish |
| Date | 1807 |
| Object type | painting |
| Medium, technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 105.5 × 84 cm |
| Signature | Felirat és szignó a levélen: Ex(celentissi)mo S(eñ)or | Marques de | Caballero | Ministro de | Gracia y la Justicia | & & || Por Goya | 1807 |
| Inventory number | 3274 |
| Collection | Old Master Paintings |
| On view | Museum of Fine Arts, Second Floor, European Art 1700-1850, Gallery XXVIII |
ln his portraits, Goya strove to capture his subjects in an authentic, unpretentious manner, and in many cases he not only portrayed their character but also his opinion of them. The Marquis José Antonio Caballero, at the height of his career, and a sworn enemy of enlightened and reformist intellectuals, was painted with brilliant brushstrokes. The portrait meets the representational requirements of official portraiture, with a clothing and setting that perfectly reflect the social status of the sitter. Nevertheless, the cynical and haughty expression of the model also reflects what Goya thought of the Marquis Caballero, a power hungry and morally unscrupulous man whom he rather disliked.
Pigler, Andor, Katalog der Galerie Alter Meister, 1-2. Museum der Bildenden Künste, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1967, p. 278-279.
Nyerges, Éva, Spanish Paintings, A Szépművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményei/The Collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, 2008, p. 196-197, no. 91.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
