Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zúñiga

This painting belongs to the series of portraits that Goya made of the family of Vicente Joaquín Osorio Moscoso y Guzmán, XIII Count of Altamira, between 1785 and 1788.

Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zúñiga (1784-1792) was the second son of the Count of Altamira.

The full-length portrait shows the subject standing in a slightly rigid position and with an inexpressive posture. He is wearing a bold red suit, with a golden sash tied around his waist. With his right hand he holds a length of string tied to a magpie, which holds in its beak a small piece of paper bearing the painter's signature. At his feet, three cats hungrily watch the magpie whilst on the other side sits a cage containing more birds. All of these elements encourage an allegorical reading of the work, suggesting that it is perhaps a reflection on the fragile frontier that separates the world of childhood from the forces of evil or a commentary on the vulnerability of childish innocence.