Vicente López Portaña

VICENTE LÓPEZ PORTAÑA (Valencia, 1772 - Madrid, 1850)
"Queen Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
Oil on canvas.
It follows the model preserved in the National Heritage.
It partially retains an identifying label of the Caja General de Reparaciones.
Measurements: 79 x 57 cm; 95 x 77,5 cm (frame).

Half-length portrait of María Cristina de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, queen consort of Spain by her marriage to King Fernando VII from 1829 to 1833, and regent of the Kingdom between 1833 and 1840. This is an official portrait, which is inspired by the copy preserved in Patrimonio Nacional. It wears the colors of the habit of Carmen as a promise for the cure of an illness that afflicted Ferdinand VII in 1832. Other versions of the autograph copy of López are known, with different variants, such as the one in the Prado Museum (no. 7115) or the one that belonged to the Marquise of Heredia (See Díez, J.L., "Vicente López (1772-1850) Catalogue Raisonné", Madrid, 1999, pp. 108-109 and 733). In this work we can appreciate the features that defined López Portaña's portraits: an intelligent balance between naturalistic realism and a slight idealization granted by a flattering palette. Thus, the author captures with success the psychological depth of the lady and the peculiarities of her physiognomy, and at the same time uses ivory shades that illuminate the face. The frothy ruff, the velvety pleats of the dress and the sky background contribute to enhance the features of the portrait. We observe the artist's interest in highlighting the qualities and textures that make up the lady's clothing, her curly hair and honeyed eyes, aspects very much to Vicente López's taste.

Vicente López began his training as a disciple of Antonio de Villanueva at the Academy of San Carlos in Valencia, where he obtained in 1786 and 1789 the first class prize, obtaining a pension to study in Madrid. Already in the court, the following year he reached the first place in the competition of the Academy of San Fernando. There he learned the baroque and colorful sense of compositions, and the taste for drawing, precise and analytical. The baroque lavishness of Luca Giordano's and Corrado Giaquinto's frescoes also had a decisive influence on his language. Already consecrated, he returned to his native city in 1792. There he received important public and private commissions, including portraits of Ferdinand VII and Marshal Soult. In his portraits López shows his Valencian heritage, the weight of Ribera and Ribalta's naturalism, as well as his mastery in the reproduction of details and qualities. His quality in the field of the portrait makes Fernando VII call him back to the court in 1814, naming him the following year first painter of chamber. From then on he was the most sought-after painter by the Spanish high society, and he alternated his work at the court with teaching, official posts and private commissions. In 1823 he took over the artistic direction of the Royal Museum of Paintings, for which he painted a superb portrait of Francisco de Goya, now in the Prado. Works by Vicente López are kept in the Prado Museum, the Fine Arts Museum of Valencia San Pío V, the Academy of San Fernando, the Municipal Museum of Játiva, the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, the New York Historical Society, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome and the Lázaro Galdiano Foundation in Madrid.