Antonio Carnicero (1748–1814) was a Spanish painter of the
Neoclassical style. In addition to his paintings, over the course of his career he also produced prints and engravings as well as creating theatrical decorations.
Family and training
Carnicero was born in
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...
on 10 January 1748. His father, the sculptor
Alejandro Carnicero
Alejandro Carnicero (Íscar, 1693 - Madrid, 1756) was a Spanish sculptor of the Baroque period. He belongs to the Castilian school, following the style of Gregorio Fernández. His artistic language evolved from the 17th century models to a more ...
, went to the court of Madrid in 1749 to fulfill a commission for a series of sculptures in the royal palace. Antonio's brothers Gregorio and Isidro were also artists.
After initial training from his father, Carnicero entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1758. At age 12, he was awarded a scholarship to accompany his brother Isidro to Rome so they could further their study of painting. In 1766 he returned to Madrid, where he began to paint for civil and religious institutions as well as private clients.
Early career
In 1775, Carnicero collaborated with Joseph del Castillo in the execution of tapestry cartoons for the royal household. He also worked as a theatrical decorator for performances at the
Teatro de la Cruz
The Teatro de la Cruz was, during its nearly 200-year existence, the principal theater for comedy in Madrid.
History
Founded by the Hermandad de la Soledad in 1584, it soon became the premier venue of its time for Spanish comedy.
In 1743, it was ...
and the Teatro del Principe. Between 1780 and 1782, he provided illustrations for a project of the
Royal Spanish Academy to prepare a deluxe printing of
Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...
, edited by Joaquín Ibarra, that became a milestone edition of the Spanish literary classic.
His ability as an artist and painter gained a growing reputation with a colorful series ''Costumes of Spain and the Indies'' (1777), portraits of illustrious Spanish personages (1788), and a series of etchings on
bullfighting (1790). He scored a major success with his work ''The Coronation of King Alfonso XI and Queen Mary, His Wife'' for a competition to decorate the
Royal Basilica of San Francisco el Grande. Two other well-known works depict the contemporary sensation of early
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...
flights. These paintings might depict one of two events: the first manned flight on 21 November 1783, by
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier () was a French chemistry and physics teacher, and one of the first pioneers of aviation. He made the first manned free balloon flight with François Laurent d'Arlandes on 21 November 1783, in a Montgolfier bal ...
and the
Marquis d'Arlandes
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
in Paris, or more likely a later demonstration from 5 June 1784, which took place in the gardens of
Aranjuez
Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid.
Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of Tagus, a bit upstream the discharge of the Jarama. , the municipality h ...
in the presence of the Spanish court.
Royal appointment
In 1796, Carnicero was named ''chamber painter'' for King
Charles IV of Spain
, house = Bourbon-Anjou
, father = Charles III of Spain
, mother = Maria Amalia of Saxony
, birth_date =11 November 1748
, birth_place =Palace of Portici, Portici, Naples
, death_date =
, death_place ...
. This came after several previous failed attempts to secure a court appointment (in 1788, 1792 and 1793). From that point on, he worked mainly as a
portraitist of the royal family and leading ministers at court, such as painting a young
Manuel Godoy
Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, Prince of the Peace, 1st Duke of Alcudia, 1st Duke of Sueca, 1st Baron of Mascalbó (12 May 17674 October 1851) was First Secretary of State of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808. He received many t ...
or
Pedro Rodríguez de Campomanes
Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter.
The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...
.
He taught drawing to the children of the royal family, especially the future
Ferdinand VII
, house = Bourbon-Anjou
, father = Charles IV of Spain
, mother = Maria Luisa of Parma
, birth_date = 14 October 1784
, birth_place = El Escorial, Spain
, death_date =
, death_place = Madrid, Spain
, burial_plac ...
, then Prince of Asturias. On account of his relationship with the Prince, Carnicero drew suspicion of being involved
in the
El Escorial Conspiracy
The El Escorial Conspiracy (Spanish: ''Conspiración-proceso de El Escorial'') was an attempted coup d'état led by the Crown Prince Ferdinand that took place in 1807, but was quickly discovered and led to an investigation known as the Process o ...
of 1807 to dethrone Charles IV. As a result, Carnicero was arrested on 7 November and detained for over ten days before being released.
As Spain came under Napoleonic rule, beginning in 1809 Carnicero, like
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...
, was required to work for
Joseph Bonaparte
it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte
, house = Bonaparte
, father = Carlo Buonaparte
, mother = Letizia Ramolino
, birth_date = 7 January 1768
, birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic of ...
to maintain his position as court painter. After the restoration of the Bourbons, Carnicero was put on trial for removal from his office on the grounds that he had served the foreign king. An appeal to reinstate him came too late when Carnicero died in Madrid on 21 August 1814, just days before an amnesty was proclaimed by Ferdinand VII.
References
*
Scholarly articlesabout Antonio Carnicero both in web an
PDF@ th
Spanish Old Masters Gallery
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnicero, Antonio
1748 births
1814 deaths
People from Salamanca
18th-century Spanish painters
18th-century Spanish male artists
Spanish male painters
19th-century Spanish painters
Spanish neoclassical painters
19th-century Spanish male artists