Canarian School, circa 1687.
"Portrait of María Viña, Marquise of Villanueva del Prado".
Oil on canvas. Re-drawn.
Measurements: 193,5 x 109,5 cm, 224 x 140 cm (frame).
The one we present here is a court portrait with a sumptuous and scenographic conception, but at the same time endowed with a certain closeness that breaks the protocol distance of the institutional portrait. The woman is depicted full-length, elegantly attired in rich fabrics, combining numerous fabrics of various exceptional qualities, with particular emphasis on the detail of the neckline and sleeves. The lady wears her dress, defined by the voluminous pleats that add monumentality to her figure. The brooches of her hairstyle and neckline have been worked with attention to detail and quality, emphasising her presence, and her delicately fine, whitish complexion emphasises the noble character of the sitter. The young woman, of enormous beauty, looks directly at us, with a serene and gentle expression on her face, something completely new with respect to traditional Baroque portraiture. The composition is also totally scenographic, with a large curtain on the left side of the background and a frieze on which the sitter is leaning, resources typical of this type of court portrait. Of particular interest is the use of colour, with strong tones that further enhance the beauty of the composition.
This type of portrait became popular, largely due to the political relations between the different families belonging to the court, who used these works both in the intimate family sphere and in the diplomatic sphere. In fact, a clear example of the proliferation of these court portraits during the Baroque period is that they were either intended to commemorate the effigy of the sitter, thus revealing his power and authority, or to serve as works intended for other families with the intention of making the sitters known and thus establishing ties, in many cases matrimonial ones.