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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
Toutes les enchères / Autres / European School (XVIII) - Aristocratic lady, traditionally identified as María
Oil on canvas, 52 × 39 cm, presented in a gilt frame measuring 65 × 53 cm overall. The portrait depicts an elegantly dressed lady in bust-length format, looking directly at the viewer. Her elaborate hairstyle, refined appearance and the unusual oval insignia or jewel worn prominently on her chest indicate a sitter belonging to an aristocratic or courtly milieu. The painting is particularly interesting because of the traditional identification of the sitter as the Countess of Fuenteblanca. María Ramona de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria was the sister of Manuel Godoy, one of the most powerful figures at the court of King Charles IV of Spain. She married Manuel Cándido Moreno Cidoncha, who was created Count of Fuenteblanca in 1799. María Ramona was herself connected with the Spanish court and was admitted to the Royal Order of Noble Ladies of Queen María Luisa in 1796. An intriguing historical reference adds further interest to the portrait. The documented collection of Manuel Godoy contained a painting described in the early 19th century as a “Portrait of the sister of the Prince of the Peace.” The precise identity of the sister represented in that portrait is not known, as Godoy had two sisters, María Ramona and María Antonia, and the painting has not been securely identified among surviving works. No documentary evidence currently allows the present painting to be identified with that lost or untraced portrait, and such an identification is therefore not proposed as established fact. Nevertheless, the traditional identification of the sitter as the Countess of Fuenteblanca, together with the apparent date of the painting and its aristocratic character, makes the historical reference particularly noteworthy. Stylistically, the portrait belongs to the late 18th century, circa 1780–1800. The elaborate coiffure, restrained composition, dark green background and delicate modelling of the face are characteristic of European aristocratic portraiture of the period. Particularly noteworthy is the oval insignia or jewel on the sitter's chest, containing a small red heraldic figure. Its exact significance has not been established and it is deliberately left unidentified rather than attributed to a particular order without documentary evidence. The painting retains an attractive historic surface with extensive fine craquelure. The canvas has been relined and mounted on a later stretcher, and shows restorations and retouching consistent with its age and conservation history. These elements, including the reverse of the canvas, are clearly documented in the accompanying photographs. The portrait is presented in an elegant gilt frame, which complements the painting particularly well. An appealing late 18th-century aristocratic portrait with an especially intriguing historical context. The traditional identification as María Ramona de Godoy, Countess of Fuenteblanca, should be regarded as an attribution requiring further documentary research rather than a confirmed identification.
Estimation:€1,600
Vers la vente aux enchèresEstimation:
€1,600
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