Don Antonio Noriega
Francisco Goya·1801
Historical Context
Don Antonio Noriega, painted in 1801 and held at the National Gallery of Art, depicts a Spanish official in the dignified portrait format Goya had mastered during his years as court painter. The portrait’s dark palette and focused characterization show Goya moving beyond the lighter Rococo style of his earlier career toward the more somber, penetrating approach of his mature years. The 1801 date places this work in the period between Goya’s illness of 1793—1794 (which left him deaf) and the Napoleonic invasion of 1808, a period of intense artistic development when Goya’s work grew increasingly dark and psychologically complex.
Technical Analysis
The oil on canvas features Goya's characteristic direct approach with a dark, muted palette enlivened by the warm flesh tones of the face, modeled with broad, confident strokes that create a compelling psychological presence.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the warm flesh tones emerging from the dark muted background: Goya's characteristic approach of illuminating the face against darkness creates compelling focus.
- ◆Look at the broad, confident brushwork: the face is built through decisive strokes rather than smooth blending, a technique that grew more pronounced after Goya's deafness.
- ◆Observe the transitional quality of this 1801 portrait: it stands between the lighter Rococo palette of his 1780s work and the deeper psychological darkness of his mature style.
- ◆Find where Goya's characterization resists mere official dignity: even in a formal commission, the face carries an individuality that makes Noriega a specific person rather than a social type.
Provenance
Purchased from a private collector in Madrid by Freiherr Ferdinand Eduard von Stumm [1843-1925], while he was ambassador of the German Empire to the court of Madrid, 1887-1892;[1] (his estate sale, Günther Deneke Auktionhaus, Berlin, 4 October 1932, 19, no. 87); (Wildenstein & Co., Paris and New York);[2] sold 1955 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1961 to NGA. [1] August L. Mayer, "The Portrait of Don Antonio Noriega by Goya," _Apollo_ 22 (1935): 49. The dates of Stumm's appointment as ambassador to Madrid are established by _Almanach de Gotha_ (1890)127: 680 and _Almanach de Gotha_ (1892)129: 786. [2] Mrs. Ay-Whang Hsia, Vice President of Wildenstein & Co., New York, letter of 14 September 1988 in NGA curatorial files. [3] A letter dated 8 February 1955 from Wildenstein & Co. to the Kress Foundation outlines the agreement for the sale of two paintings and a bronze figure (see copy in NGA curatorial files and The Kress Collection Digital Archive, https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/objects/674). One of the paintings was _Portrait of Don Antonio Nortega[sic]_ by Goya.
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