PAINTING COLLECTION

 
Portrait of the Infanta Isabel Francisca de Asis by Antonio Tomasich Haro

The painting collection provides us with a gallery of royal, military and civil portraits, together with historical compositions, mainly battles, which allow us knowing about the evolution of our armies and the changes experienced by the Spanish society, especially during the 19th century. To the documentary value of the compositions, the presence of some examples of artistic excellence is added, such as the Portrait of the Queen Elisabeth II by Federico Madrazo y Kuntz (1815-1894), a magnificent example of the Spanish romantic portrait with a French influence. The main characters of the political and military life are undoubtedly the ones who define a great amount of the portraits kept. Thanks to Sánchez Pescador (1839-1887), we have the portrait of General Count of Gazola, founder of the Military College of Segovia, with an excellent finish and a detailed composition. The echo of the elegant-posing, loose-brushstroke British painting is evident in the works of the Sevillian José Gutiérrez de la Vega (1781-1865), as we can see in the portraits of Marshal Manuel Fernández y Rodríguez and Captain General José Ramón Esteban Mateo Méndez Rodil y Galloso. As an example of civil portrait, it is worth mentioning the portrait of Antonio Romero Ortiz, by Puebla Tolín (1831-1858 ), where the perfection in the drawing and the masterly treatment of light –features that define the works by this painter born in Burgos– are evident.
Historical painting holds an outstanding position in large works which represent mainly military scenes and battles with a detailed iconographic program. Items as the series of four canvasses referred to the Conquest of Napoli by the Italian painter Giovanni Luigi Rocco (1701-1750), the Battle of Tetouan by Sans Cabot (1828-1881), presided by the portrait of O’Donnell and his army, or the grisaille Episode of the War of Africa, by Marcelino de Unceta (1835-1905), where the detailed style of the painter from Saragossa can be appreciated.
Special attention must be paid to the magnificent collection of miniatures, highlighting the Portrait of the Infanta Elisabeth Francisca de Asís by Antonio Tomasich Haro (1815-1891), an excellent example of the miniature artwork, of its intimate dimension and of the sensibility of a time which defines the Spanish Romanticism.

Images

  • Portrait of Antonio Romero Ortiz

    Author Teófilo Dióscoro de la Puebla Tolín
    Author Teófilo Dióscoro de la Puebla Tolín

  • Battle of Tétouan”

    Author Francisco Sans Cabot
    Author Francisco Sans Cabot

  • Battle of Bionto”

    Author Giovani Luigi Rocco
    Author Giovani Luigi Rocco

  • Portrait of Captain General José Ramón Godil y Galloso

    Author Jose Gutierrez de la Vega
    Author Jose Gutierrez de la Vega