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| 'Doña Amalia de Llano y Dotres, Countess of Vilches' (1853) by Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz; Museo del Prado, Madrid |
I had never heard of the painter Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz, born or baptised¹ on 12 February 1815, before I went to visit Museo del Prado in Madrid in May 2009. There was a lot of merchandise in the museum shop with this particular image of the lovely lady in blue and of course I expected to see the painting being displayed in the museum. When I couldn't find it and asked for it, I'd been told that it was not on display but sitting in the storage depot. There were quite some rooms being remodeled and I just searched on the internet to see why the painting was in the depot around that time because I hadn't bothered to ask then. Apparently in the autumn of 2009 the museum opened 12 new rooms dedicated to their collection of the 19th century with 176 works from among others Madrazo. So I definitely have to visit again! This is a portrait of Amalia de Llano, a historical figure. Madrazo dedicated himself to portrait painting and went to Paris to study under Franz Winterhalter (see my earlier post). Federico's father had been a painter as well and the director of Museo del Prado. After his death Federico became the new director of the museum from 1860 till 1868 and again from 1881 till 1894. The museum still houses his greatest paintings.
¹) Edit 15.09.2025: I'm doing a blog maintenance, also checking dates. In my initial post I said Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz was born on 12 February 1815. But his Wikipedia page says he is born on 9 February 1815, with an added footnote saying that the date of birth is 12 February according to Chisholm 1911 (Encyclopædia Britannica). There are several (less reputable) sources who list the birthdate as 12 February 1815 but also multiple websites state his date of birth as 9 February 1815 and his baptism/christening as 12 February 1815. So I added 'or baptised' to the original text, because I can't be bothered having to look for another painter and I love this painting. (It beats me why I would list another date of birth than the one in Wikipedia but oh well ...)
1 comment:
I saw this painting at the Prado June 2014 and it was by far one my favorite. I've never been so captivated by a painting before. The Countess demands your attention and makes you feel like an intimate friend. I couldn't even tell you what other paintings were hanging in the gallery with her. I'm so thankful I wandered into that gallery and happened upon Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz's work.
It was a wonderful visit to the Prado museum considering they have an amazing collection. I can't wait to go back again. For now, the poster of the Countess hangs in my classroom watching over my students.
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