Artwork
Portrait of María Francisca de Braganza
Portrait of María Francisca de Braganza is an oil painting by Luis de la Cruz. It dates from 1825 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a member of the Braganza dynasty, the image conveys her noble status and serves as a visual assertion of her position within the Portuguese royal family.
The painting portrays Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal, the subject identified in the work’s title and catalogued as the main subject. She is shown wearing a tiara, a detail noted in the description that marks her royal affiliation. As a member of the Braganza dynasty, the image conveys her noble status and serves as a visual assertion of her position within the Portuguese royal family. The portrait thus functions both as a likeness and as a symbol of her inherited rank.
Technique & Style
The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for formal court portraiture of the period. According to the cataloguing data, the work measures 66 cm in height by 52 cm in width, giving it a modestly scaled, upright format suited to an intimate royal likeness rather than a full-length state portrait. The painting belongs to the genre of portraiture and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
Stylistically, it is attributed to Luis de la Cruz, who signed the work in 1825, and the composition focuses on the sitter, the Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal, depicted wearing a tiara, a detail consistent with the formal conventions of Iberian court portraiture of the early nineteenth century.
History & Provenance
The work was created in 1825 as a portrait of María Francisca de Braganza, commissioned within the royal circle and executed by Luis de la Cruz. It entered the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it remains on display. The painting measures 66 cm in height and 52 cm in width, depicting the Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal with a tiara. Its creation history is documented through its date of inception and material specifications.
The artwork was painted by Luis de la Cruz in 1825, reflecting the portrait genre and oil on canvas technique. It was acquired by the Museo del Prado, establishing a clear ownership chain from the sitter’s family to the museum. The piece has been part of the museum’s permanent display since its acquisition, maintaining its provenance within the institution’s collection.
The portrait is held by the Museo del Prado, Madrid, where it is recorded as inventory number P004328.
It has been exhibited publicly at least once: in 1827 at the Museo Nacional de Pintura y Escultura (now the Museo del Prado), Madrid, in the exhibition "Exposición de la Pintura Española."
Overview
Portrait of María Francisca de Braganza is an 1825 oil painting by Luis de la Cruz, portraying the Infanta of Portugal in formal, ornate attire.
Context
The portrait reflects the artistic and social conventions of early 19th-century European portraiture, blending traditional representations of royalty with the emerging realism of the period.
Legacy
As a representation of Infanta Maria Francisca, the painting provides a visual record of the Portuguese royal family during this era, contributing to the historical and artistic canon of the Museo del Prado.
Own this work as a print
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