Manuel Godoy
Agustin Esteve y Marqués·1800–8
Historical Context
This portrait depicts Manuel Godoy, the powerful Spanish statesman who served as Prime Minister under Charles IV and was widely known as the queen's lover. Agustín Esteve, who trained under Goya and became a successful court portraitist in his own right, painted numerous portraits of the Spanish aristocracy. Godoy's dramatic fall from power during the 1808 uprising makes this an important historical document.
Technical Analysis
Esteve's smooth, polished technique owes much to his training under Goya but is more conservative in execution. The portrait employs a restrained palette with careful attention to the sitter's decorations and costume details befitting his rank.
Provenance
Masonic lodge, Burlington, Vermont, possibly from the early nineteenth century [acc. to Soria 1957]. Joseph Winterbotham, Jr. (died 1954), Burlington, Vermont, by 1945 [according to letter of November 26, 1945, from Daniel Catton Rich to Joseph Winterbotham in curatorial file]; given to the Art Institute, 1954.
