3-098-027 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Self-portrait of José Madrazo, 1840. By 1840, José de Madrazo (1781-1859) was already one of the most prominent figures in the cultural life of the first half of the 19th century. At the age of fifty-nine, he simultaneously held the positions of president of the Painting Section of the Artistic and Literary Lyceum of Madrid, director of Painting at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts, director of the Royal Museum, secretary to the Queen Regent, academician of merit at the Salamanca Academy of Fine Arts, academician at the Academy of St. Luke in Rome, court painter, and among his numerous titles and honours were Knight of the Order of Charles III, perpetual councilman of his native city, and Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. As a painter he enjoyed a large clientele, especially among the nobility of the Spanish court. Here he depicts himself with palette and brushes in hand.