Portrait of El General Ricardos
Francisco Goya·1800
Historical Context
Goya painted this second portrait of General Antonio Ricardos around 1793-94 for the general's family, a version distinct from the one in the Prado. Ricardos had become a national hero for his victories against Revolutionary France in the War of the Pyrenees before his death from illness in 1794. Now in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, the portrait captures the general's commanding presence in full military regalia. Goya produced multiple versions of portraits of important figures — a common practice that served both the families' desires for replicas and Goya's professional interests. The Walters version demonstrates the consistent quality Goya maintained across different versions of the same subject.
Technical Analysis
Goya renders the general with the authority appropriate to military command, using the uniform and composed bearing to project strength while the face reveals individual character with characteristic honesty.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the full military regalia: this Baltimore version of the Ricardos portrait shows the general in comprehensive decorative splendor appropriate to a hero who died before the republic could dishonor him.
- ◆Look at the commanding presence: Goya creates a posthumous portrait that feels genuinely alive, maintaining the convention of depicting the deceased as if still present.
- ◆Observe the warm, confident handling consistent with the Prado version: Goya maintains quality across different versions of the same subject.
- ◆Find the Walters Art Museum context: this important American collection holds the Ricardos portrait alongside other major European works acquired during the institutional collecting era.
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