Artwork
Antonio Ugarte and his wife Maria Antonia Larrazábal
Antonio Ugarte and his wife Maria Antonia Larrazábal is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Vicente López Portaña. It dates from 1833 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado. The oil painting, executed in 1833, portrays Antonio Ugarte alongside his wife Maria Antonia Larrazábal.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Together, these attributes convey a shared identity centered on aristocratic prestige and domestic harmony within the couple.
The double portrait depicts Antonio Ugarte seated beside his wife, María Antonia Larrazábal, in an interior setting. Ugarte is shown wearing the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece at his breast, indicating his elevated social status and royal favor, while Larrazábal holds a hand fan adorned with gemstones, a conventional emblem of refined taste and leisure in early nineteenth-century portraiture. The inclusion of the Golden Fleece, an order established in 1430, underscores Ugarte’s political and courtly position, while the fan’s embellishment signals the sitter’s cultural and economic standing. Together, these attributes convey a shared identity centered on aristocratic prestige and domestic harmony within the couple.
Technique & Style
The double portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium typical of Vicente López Portaña’s mature practice. The handling is smooth and refined, with careful attention to the textures of the sitters’ garments and accessories; the husband’s sash and the wife’s fan are rendered with delicate, almost miniaturist precision. The composition is frontal and symmetrical, emphasizing the couple’s social status through the display of the Golden Fleece and other insignia.
The palette is restrained yet luminous, using subdued earth tones and restrained highlights to convey the sitters’ dignity and the formality of the occasion.
The canvas support measures 146 cm in height by 196 cm in width, and the painting’s condition is reported as stable within the Museo del Prado’s holdings.
History & Provenance
The painting Antonio Ugarte and his wife Maria Antonia Larrazábal was created in 1833 by the Spanish artist Vicente López Portaña. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 146 by 196 centimeters. It is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
The piece depicts Antonio Ugarte adorned with the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Order of Saint Anna, alongside his wife Maria Antonia Larrazábal.
The painting is held by the Museo del Prado, where it forms part of the museum's collection. According to the available record, the work is catalogued within the Prado's holdings of nineteenth-century Spanish portraiture by Vicente López Portaña.
No specific inventory or accession number is documented in the available sources. Likewise, no exhibition history beyond its presence in the Museo del Prado's collection is recorded.
Overview
The oil painting, executed in 1833, portrays Antonio Ugarte alongside his wife Maria Antonia Larrazábal. The couple is seated before a dark backdrop, with a modest table draped in a red cloth to their right. The composition emphasizes a restrained elegance, presenting the figures in formal attire that reflects their social standing.
Context
The painting belongs to the Biedermeier period, a time when middle‑ and upper‑class patrons favored intimate, domestic scenes that conveyed personal dignity and refinement. López Portaña’s portrait aligns with this trend, offering a formal yet approachable record of the couple’s social identity within early 19th‑century Spain.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Vicente López Portaña (Spanish:; 19 September 1772 – 22 July 1850) was a Spanish painter, considered one of the best portrait painters of his time.
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