Artwork
Cardinal Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga
Cardinal Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga is an oil painting by Francisco de Goya. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting further conveys the subject’s ecclesiastical role with a crucifix and an open book, likely a breviary, resting on a table beside him.
This portrait depicts Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga, a Spanish churchman and aristocrat who held the title 14th Count of Chinchón. Goya’s composition emphasizes the sitter’s religious and aristocratic identity through the insignia he wears: the badge of the Order of Saint Januarius, the star of the Order of the Holy Spirit, and the blue sash of the Order of Charles III. These decorations underscore his high social standing and close ties to the Bourbon monarchy.
The painting further conveys the subject’s ecclesiastical role with a crucifix and an open book, likely a breviary, resting on a table beside him. The combination of sacred symbols and regal honors presents the sitter as both a man of faith and a prince of the Church, reflecting the intersection of religious authority and aristocratic privilege in late eighteenth-century Spain.
Technique & Style
Francisco Goya executed this portrait in 1800 using oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 214 cm in height and 136 cm in width. As a formal portrait, the composition depicts the subject adorned with the insignia of the Order of Saint Januarius, the Order of the Holy Spirit, and the Order of Charles III.
Additional elements within the painting include a book and a crucifix, which are rendered alongside the cardinal's figure.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Cardinal Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga was executed by Francisco Goya in 1800 using oil on canvas, measuring 214 cm by 136 cm. It portrays the 14th Count of Chinchón, a Spanish cardinal, alongside symbols of various orders and religious items. According to documented records, the work remained in the artist’s circle until it entered the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it has been displayed since its acquisition. The piece is catalogued as a portrait and belongs to the museum’s permanent holdings, reflecting its continuous ownership by the institution from its creation to the present.
The portrait of Cardinal Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga by Francisco Goya is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it has been documented as part of the museum's holdings. The work is catalogued as a painting in oil on canvas, dated to 1800. No specific accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history beyond its presence in the Museo del Prado collection is documented.
Context
The portrait of Cardinal Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga, painted by Francisco Goya in 1800, exemplifies the artist’s late royal patronage and his ability to blend ceremonial grandeur with psychological depth. Contemporary accounts praised its formal composition and the sitter’s dignified bearing, while modern scholarship interprets the work as a commentary on ecclesiastical power during the Bourbon restoration, situating it within Goya’s broader royal portraiture and the Neoclassical tradition. The painting’s dimensions of 214 cm × 136 cm and its presence in the Museo del Prado underscore its significance as a key example of early 19th‑century Spanish portraiture.
Overview
Francisco Goya completed this oil portrait of Cardinal Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga in 1800. The sitter, also the 14th Count of Chinchón, held a prominent position within both royal and ecclesiastical circles of Spain. Goya, a significant Spanish painter of his era, captured the cardinal in formal regalia, adhering to the established portraiture traditions of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The artwork is presently housed in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker.
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