Communication with the purpose of culturally promoting artists included in the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Collection, works protected by intellectual property rights. Their total or partial reproduction or processing by any means, or their transmission or cession in any form is forbidden without the authorisation of the holder of the rights to the works
George William Frederick Villiers, luego IV conde de Clarendon
TECHNICAL DATA
Author: Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz (Rome, 1815 – Madrid, 1894)
Title: George William Frederick Villiers, luego IV conde de Clarendon
Year: circa 1835-1837
Technique: oil on canvas
Size: 105 x 78 cm
Between 1835 and 1837, Federico de Madrazo painted the then-ambassador of the United Kingdom in Spain, George William Frederick Villiers, following in the tradition of English portraiture. He depicts him with one hand on his hip before a large red curtain, which evokes the paintings of Thomas Lawrence.
The painter took great care to capture the qualities of the objects lying on the table, and he showcased his technical prowess with his rendering of the reflections on the mahogany furniture and his depiction of the inkwell, books and papers. They refer to his sitter’s fate in the British embassy, at that time located on Calle de Alcalá; in the background is a church with the features of Madrid’s Baroque churches.
This portrait was acquired by the Foundation from Antigüedades Caylus in 2016.