KARL recommends : Velázquez

PORTRAIT OF A MAN, VELAZQUEZ

Museo Nacional del Prado.
Calle Ruiz de Alarcón 23
Madrid 28014

+34 91 330 2800

http://www.museodelprado.es/en

Through January 27th 2013,

In 2009 this male portrait, which had been on display in the Metropolitan Museum with an attribution to the circle of Velázquez, was sent to its restoration studio. As work progressed on cleaning its qualities became increasingly evident, leading Jonathan Brown to publish it as an original by Velázquez, reinstating the previous autograph status of the work that was maintained until 1963 when José López-Rey decided that it was not possible to firmly attribute it to the artist given its state of conservation at the time.

The painting’s condition was the result of its eventful history. It had been in private collections in Germany from the eighteenth century until 1925 or 1926 when it was acquired by Joseph Duveen, the most important Old Master picture dealer of the day. With the aim of placing the canvas on the market, he had it restored in a way that reflected international collectors’ tastes. This involved making the background uniform, strengthening parts of the torso that were only lightly sketched in, transforming the hair into a solid zone and in general creating a more static, homogeneous image. This new effect was subsequently increased by the aging of the varnish.