Samuel P. Avery (1822–1904)

Samuel Putnam Avery was one of the most important American art dealers and collectors of the nineteenth century, whose tireless advocacy for European art — and particularly Spanish painting — shaped the collections of several major American museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which he helped found. Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta painted him on a small wooden panel in 1876, producing an intimate portrait that records the personal relationship between the two men — Avery was both a professional contact and a genuine friend. Avery's role in bringing Raimundo's work to American collectors gave the portrait a particular significance: the agent who facilitated the market is commemorated in the same institution whose collection he helped build. The small panel format suggests informality — a personal work rather than an official commission, painted with the directness appropriate between two men who knew each other well.

The small panel support requires Raimundo to work on an intimate scale, concentrating all his attention on the face and essential details. Panel painting allows for very smooth, blended transitions because the rigid support prevents canvas texture from influencing brushwork. The result is a jewel-like precision consistent with the format's intimate scale.