A portrait of Ferdinand VII, the work of Francisco de Goya, which had been 'lost' for two centuries, has appeared in the Community of Madrid. The work was commissioned by the Talavera de la Reina City Council, in Toledo, in the summer of 1808 to the Aragonese painter to be displayed in its premises and as a way of showing loyalty to the monarch.
The portrait, a medium format oil painting, disappeared during the wave of looting during the War of Independence, between 1808 and 1814, and has now appeared in the Community of Madrid, according to different media publications citing Efe. The lawyer and art appraiser Javier Gallego, who has been the person who has found its whereabouts, estimates the value of the painting, which is in perfect condition, between 15 and 20 million euros.
The canvas in question is a half-length portrait of Ferdinand VII at the age of 23 in which he appears in uniform with the sash of Charles III, insignia and the Golden Fleece. The painting arrived at the end of the summer of 1808 at the Talavera Town Hall in the Queen, but with the looting of the Napoleonic troops in the War of Independence, it disappeared and was replaced by a replica made by the painter Vicente López Portaña, which is currently in the spaces of the Talavera City Hall.
enigmatic call
The portrait, along with other paintings, was recovered in 1813, after the defeat of the French, and given to the Duke of Wellington, who at that time also received the famous 'Spanish gift' that Ferdinand VII gave to the English soldier for his help. , with nearly 200 works of art (including 'The Water Carrier of Seville', by Velázquez), which today form part of the valuable collection of Apsley House, in London.
Years later, Goya's work went up for auction and his trace was lost until in March 2024, Gallego, who has been investigating the whereabouts of the painting for almost thirty years, received “an enigmatic call from a lawyer,” who told him that one of his clients was the current owner of the work, who had purchased it legitimately a few years ago at a public auction, and who had informed the Ministry of Culture of its acquisition.
Gallego began to be interested in the painting in the 90s of the last century, when the Higher Center for Scientific Research (CSIF) published that there was evidence of payment by the Talavera City Council to the painter for the portrait, based on a receipt signed in his hand. lyrics by Goya himself.
The tests that have been carried out, as the appraiser explains, have confirmed that it is the work that the genius of Fuendetodos did expressly for the Talavera City Council. 216 years later, the work could return to its place of origin since the current owner of the painting has raised the possibility of exhibiting the portrait in storage in Talavera for at least three years, so that it can be visited. And according to Gallego, “there is complete harmony for it to be carried out.”
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