Who painted Victor Guye?

Victor Guye was painted by Francisco de Goya in 1810.

Where can I see Victor Guye?

Victor Guye is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Victor Guye?

Victor Guye is associated with Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of Victor Guye?

Museum-quality prints of Victor Guye are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Victor Guye

Francisco de Goya , 1810

Victor Guye is an oil painting by the Romanticist artist Francisco de Goya. It dates from 1810 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:on the back of the original fabric (now concealed by the lining): Ce portrait de mon Fils a été peint par Goya pour faire le pendant de celui de mon Frère le Général. Vt Guye. (This portrait of my son was painted by Goya as a pendant to that of my brother the General. V[incen]t Guye.)

About this work

Technique & Style

As a portrait genre piece, it depicts the sitter in a formal composition characteristic of Francisco Goya's portraiture from this period.

Created in 1810, Victor Guye is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 103.5 cm in height and 84.5 cm in width. As a portrait genre piece, it depicts the sitter in a formal composition characteristic of Francisco Goya's portraiture from this period.

The medium of oil paint on canvas allows for the rendering of the subject's attire and features with the texture and depth typical of the artist's technique during his later years in Madrid.

History & Provenance

Painted by Francisco Goya in 1810, the portrait of Victor Guye was commissioned by the sitter's uncle, Nicolas Guye. Following its creation in Madrid, the work was gifted to the sitter's father, Vincent Guye, who transported it to Saint-Dié. By 1913, the painting had entered the trade of Trotti et Cie. in Paris and later M. Knoedler & Co., which exhibited it in 1915.

J. Horace Harding acquired the piece in 1916 in New York. Upon Harding's death, the painting was sold from his estate at a Parke-Bernet auction on March 1, 1941, where it was purchased by William Nelson Cromwell on behalf of the National Gallery of Art.

The work is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its accessioned title is Portrait of Victor Guye, recorded under inventory number 1943.1.19.

The painting entered the collection through William Nelson Cromwell, who acquired it from the estate of J. Horace Harding following Harding's 1941 Parke-Bernet sale (sale no. 36, lot 59). Cromwell subsequently transferred the piece to the National Gallery of Art.

Exhibition history includes a 1915 showing at the Galerie Knoedler in Paris, documented in Knoedler's exhibition catalogue. Additional exhibition records reference its display at the National Gallery of Art as part of the institution's permanent collection.

The work was created in 1810 and measures 103.5 cm in height by 84.5 cm in width.

Overview

Created in 1810, this oil on canvas portrait by Francisco de Goya presents a youthful male figure identified as Victor Guye. The work exemplifies Goya’s early 19th‑century output, when he was establishing his reputation as a leading Spanish painter. The composition centers the sitter, emphasizing his attire and a book he holds, offering a glimpse into the personal and social milieu of the period.

Subject & Meaning

The portrait depicts a young boy with short, light‑colored hair, dressed in a dark, gold‑embroidered jacket over a white shirt. He grasps a book in his right hand, a detail that may allude to education or intellectual pursuits. The formality of his clothing suggests a background of affluence, positioning the sitter within the educated elite of his time.