- Cronología
- Ca. 1804 - 1806
- Ubicación
- National Gallery of Art. Washington, Washington, United States
- Dimensiones
- 119 x 79 cm
- Técnica y soporte
- Oil on canvas
- Reconocimiento de la autoría de Goya
- Documented work
- Titular
- The National Gallery of Art
- Ficha: realización/revisión
- 31 Dec 1969 / 16 Jun 2023
- Inventario
- (1941.10.1)
Like its companion piece, the portrait of the sitter's wife, Teresa de Sureda, this work may have come from the collection of Pedro Escat, of Palma de Mallorca, before belonging to the Sureda family in Madrid up until 1907. In 1941 it was donated to the museum by Mr and Mrs P.H.B. Frelinghuysen, the work's last owners.
Bartolomé Sureda y Miserol (Palma de Mallorca, 1767-1850) travelled to London, the birthplace of the industrial revolution, to learn about a variety of different techniques, including printmaking, smelting, machine construction, pottery, etc.
In 1804, back in Spain, Charles IV named him general director of the Royal Porcelain Factory of Buen Retiro, where he was able to put the techniques learned in England to use. After working in different posts at several royal firms, he retired to Mallorca, where he died.
The subject appears here standing, half leaning, with his right arm on a table and his left hand on his hip. He is showing us his top hat, with its striking red lining.
A light source coming from the top-left corner of the painting lights up his face, shirt and half of his body, leaving the rest in the shadows. The brightness of his white shirt adds light and a cheerfulness to the work.
The neutral background manages to add a sense of volume to the figure.
Sureda's suit is made up of green and greyish brushstrokes, with reddish and white touches.
The look on his face makes him appear somewhat absent, immersed in his thoughts.
-
Loan exhibition of Painting by El Greco and GoyaM. Knoedler and Co.New York1912April 1912cat. 9
-
Francisco Goya: His Paintings, Drawings and PrintsThe Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York1936from January 27th to March 8th 1936cat. 8
-
Goya y el espíritu de la IlustraciónMuseo Nacional del PradoMadrid1988from October 6th to December 18th 1988. Exhibited also at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, January 18th to March 26th 1989; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nueva York, May 9th to July 16th 1989, Madrid curator Manuela B. Mena Marqués, scientific directors Alfonso E. Pérez Sánchez and Eleanor A. Sayrecat. 65
-
GoyaNationalmuseumStockholm1994consultant editors Juan J. Luna and Görel Cavalli-Björkman. From October 7th 1994 to January 8th 1995cat. 27
-
Goya. 250 AniversarioMuseo Nacional del PradoMadrid1996consultant editor Juan J. Luna. From March 29th to June 2nd 1996cat. 122
-
Goya e il Mondo ModernoPalazzo RealeMilan2010organized by SEACEX, Palazzo Reale and Fundación Goya en Aragón, consultant editors Valeriano Bozal and Concepción Lomba Serrano. From March 17th to June 27th 2010cat. 6
-
Goya: The PortraitsLondon2015cat. 41
-
L'œuvre peint de Goya. 4 volsParís1928-1950p. 220, cat. 509
-
Vie et ouvre de Francisco de GoyaParísOffice du livre1970p. 198, cat. 813
-
BarcelonaPolígrafa1970vol. I, p. 337, cat. 533
-
Francisco de Goya, 4 vols.ZaragozaCaja de Ahorros de Zaragoza, Aragón y Rioja1980-1982vol. III, p. 159
-
Goya y el espíritu de la IlustraciónMadridMuseo del Prado1988pp. 256 (il.), 257 y 258, cat. 65
-
Goya. 250 AniversarioMadridMuseo del Prado1996pp. 216 (il.), 393 y 394, cat. 122
-
LondonNational Gallery Company2015pp. 142-144