- Cronología
- 1812
- Ubicación
- The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
- Dimensiones
- 64 x 52 cm
- Técnica y soporte
- Oil on wood panel
- Reconocimiento de la autoría de Goya
- Documented work
- Titular
- The National Gallery
- Ficha: realización/revisión
- 18 Apr 2010 / 16 Jun 2023
- Inventario
- (6322)
This painting, which was made as a private portrait for the sitter and probably served as model for the large equestrian portrait, belonged to the Duke of Wellington himself. It later went to Louisa Catherine Caton, wife of the VII Duke of Leeds, in whose collection it remained until 1878. It was sold at Sotheby's and acquired by the National Gallery in June 1961. In August of the same year it was stolen from the museum and was not recovered until May 1965.
This half-length portrait is most striking for the medals hanging around the sitter's neck and pinned to his military dress coat. The pink sash and the top star that he wears on his chest belong to the Order of the Bath; the blue sash and the lower left-hand star belong to the Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword; the lower right-hand star belongs to the Order of San Fernando. Hanging around his neck is the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, awarded to him in Spain in August 1812.
His face, painted with great care and precision, looks out at the viewer with intelligence and serenity.
We can see a clear difference between the full, thickly loaded brushstrokes used in the body and medals of the sitter and those applied to his face, which are much more precise, delicate and compact.
For further biographical information, see The Duke of Wellington on Horseback.
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Goya en tiempos de guerraMuseo Nacional del PradoMadrid2008consultant editor Manuela B. Mena Marqués, from April 14th to July 13th 2008cat. 78
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Goya: The PortraitsLondon2015cat. 57
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Vie et ouvre de Francisco de GoyaParísOffice du livre1970p. 262, cat. 897
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BarcelonaPolígrafa1970vol. I, p. 343, cat. 556
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Goya en tiempos de guerraMadridMuseo Nacional del Prado2008pp. 274, 275, 277 (il.), 278 y 279, cat.
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LondonNational Gallery Company2015pp. 175-176
