''Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zúñiga'' is a large full-length portrait in

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

painted in 1787–88 by the Spanish artist

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish Romanticism, romantic painter and Printmaking, printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His p ...

. It depicts a boy three or four years of age, standing in red clothes, with birds and cats. It is also known as Goya's "''Red Boy''". It was described by art historian Claus Virch in 1967 as "one of the most appealing and successful portraits of children ever painted, and also one of the most famous". The painting has been held by the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York since 1949.

History

The painting was commissioned by the boy's father, (1756–1816), conde de Altamira, who held many

titles A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

and was also a director of the

Banco de San Carlos Banco may refer to: Places * Banc (Barcelona Metro), also called Banco, a closed metro stop on the Barcelona metro * Banco, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Banco, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Banco National Park, a nation ...

. Altamira was one of the six dignitaries of the newly formed Banco de San Carlos painted by Goya between 1785 and 1788. In 1786, after painting several portraits of the court, Goya was nominated painter to

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...

, and continued from 1789 as court painter of his successor Charles IV. Altamira hired Goya to paint several family portraits. This painting, from 1787–88, depicts Altimira's youngest son, Manuel, who was born in April 1784 and died at age eight on June 12, 1792. Goya also painted a portrait of another of Altamira's four sons, (1777–1837), and of his wife María Ignacia Álvarez de Toledo y Gonzaga, the condesa de Altamira (1757–1795) with their infant daughter, María Agustina (born 1787).

Description

Manuel is dressed in a red silk costume with white collar and cuffs, silver satin sash, and white shoes decorated with bows. He holds a string attached to his pet

magpie Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is on ...

, with Goya's

visiting card A visiting card, also known as a calling card, is a small card used for social purposes. Before the 18th century, visitors making social calls left handwritten notes at the home of friends who were not at home. By the 1760s, the upper classes in ...

in its beak. To Manuel's left is a cage of

finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

es, while three cats are intently watching the magpie on his right. The boy's pale face and bright costume contrast against the drab olive-brown background.

Analysis

The pets in this portrait have been analysed in many different ways. The caged birds may symbolize the innocent soul, the cats may be an evil force. For example, Goya shows a cat among the creatures in ''

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters ''The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters'' or ''The Dream of Reason Produces Monsters'' ( es, El sueño de la razón produce monstruos) is an aquatint by the Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco Goya. Created between 1797 and 1799 for the , it ...

'', part of '' The Caprices''.

Legacy

The painting was hung with other family portraits at Altamira's palace in Madrid. It was auctioned in Paris in 1878 for 1,200 francs, and then acquired by the playwright

Henri Bernstein Henri-Léon-Gustave-Charles Bernstein (20 June 1876 – 27 November 1953) was a French playwright associated with Boulevard theatre. Biography Bernstein was born in Paris. His earliest plays, including ''La Rafale'' (1905), ''Le Voleur'' (1907), ...

before 1903. Bernstein based parts of the stage design for his 1924 play ''La Galerie des glaces'' on the painting, and then sold it to the art dealer

Joseph Duveen Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen (14 October 1869 – 25 May 1939), known as Sir Joseph Duveen, Baronet, between 1927 and 1933, was a British art dealer who was considered one of the most influential art dealers of all time. Life and career Jos ...

in 1925 for 450,000 francs and £9,000. In 1926,

Kathryn Bache Miller Kathryn Bache Miller (April 19, 1896 – October 15, 1979) was an American art collector and philanthropist. Early life Bache was born in 1896, she was the daughter of investment banker Jules S. Bache and Florence Rosalie Scheftel (1869– ...

fell in love with this painting while at the Paris art gallery of

. Her father, Jules Bache, then purchased it for $160,000. The painting was hung prominently in her living room. Her interior decorator, Billy Baldwin, described her attachment to it as if it were a living being. Her father bequeathed the painting to the

on his death in 1944, and his estate transferred the painting to the museum in 1949, but it was allowed to be shown periodically in Miller's apartment until she died in 1979. From April 22 to August 3, 2014, the museum reunited Manuel with his parents in the exhibit ''Goya and the Altamira Family''. The exhibit also included portraits of his two brothers and his sister. File:Vicente Joaquín Osorio de Moscoso, conde de Altamira by Goya.jpg, Goya's portrait of ''Vicente Joaquín Osorio de Moscoso y Guzmán'', 1787. Collection of the

Bank of Spain The Bank of Spain ( es, link=no, Banco de España) is the central bank of Spain. Established in Madrid in 1782 by Charles III, today the bank is a member of the European System of Central Banks and is also Spain's national competent authority fo ...

. File:Countess of Altamira and her Daughter by Goya.jpg, Goya's portrait of the ''Countess of Altamira and her Daughter'', 1787–88.

File:Goya - Vicente Osorio de Moscoso as child.jpg, Goya's portrait of ''Vicente Isabel Osorio de Moscoso, conde de Trastámara'', 1786–87, at 9 or 10 years old.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Buil ...

References

Bibliography

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga Portraits by Francisco Goya Paintings in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Rococo paintings Paintings of children Cats in art Birds in art