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77 - Attributed to Vicente López Portaña (Valencia, 1772 – Madrid…

Estimate €6,000 - €9,000
Sale commission
Description
Attributed to Vicente López Portaña (Valencia, 1772 – Madrid, 1850) “Saint Vincent the Martyr before Decius” Oil on canvas. Sketch. Circa 1795. On the reverse, the number 30 is handwritten—likely a collection number—along with an anagram that appears to read the letters B and O. 34.5 x 17 cm. The bold use of color—in greens, yellows, and the salmon-red hues of the garments—gives each color a thousand and one shades, broadening the spectrum of light. Our painting is identical, with some minor variations in certain gestures, to the one by Vicente López housed in Madrid’s Lázaro Galdeano Museum. The latter is reproduced in the book “Vicente López: Life and Work” by José Luis Díez. Published by the Foundation for the Support of Hispanic Art History. Page 55, no. P-289. Both paintings depict Saint Vincent wearing a dalmatic over an alb, accompanied by Bishop Saint Valero, to whom he was a deacon, after both had been arrested in Zaragoza, as they are being led before Daciano, the consul, who is seated under a canopy. Saint Vincent points to the choir of putti above, who hold the crown and the palm branch as symbols of his martyrdom. Beside an altar, a pagan priest urges them to pay homage to his deity, while an executioner prepares the shackles for their torment. Thanks to his extraordinary artistic gifts as a draughtsman and colorist, Vicente López Portaña, was appointed in 1803, at just over thirty years of age, Honorary Painter to the Chamber, and in 1815 First Painter to the Chamber of Ferdinand VII, replacing Mariano Salvador Maella, from whom he had learned so much and to whom he owed so many favors at Court and beyond. Vicente López Portaña, born on 19 September 1772, began his artistic training as a disciple of the Franciscan Antonio de Villanueva at the Academy of San Carlos in Valencia. During this first stage he won, in 1789, the first-class prize with the canvas King Hezekiah Displaying His Riches, which enabled him to reach the capital. The following year he took first place in the competition of the Academy of San Fernando with the painting The Catholic Monarchs. From that moment on he began to absorb the academic teachings inherited from Mengs, fundamentally through Mariano Salvador Maella; from him he took the Baroque and colorist sense of composition and the taste for drawing. After his youthful period in Madrid, where experience allowed him to become a prestigious artist, in 1792 he decided to return to his native city, Valencia. For many years he received various commissions, especially religious paintings and murals for churches in Valencia, as well as portraits, monuments, and drawings for engraving. During the Peninsular War he was in Valencia and painted the portrait of Ferdinand VII wearing the habit of the Order of Charles III. Vicente López’s portrait style, respectful and objective toward his sitters, led Ferdinand VII to name him First Painter to the Chamber, requiring his return to Madrid. Owing to this prestigious appointment, he became the most sought-after painter among the aristocracy and upper bourgeoisie. In 1826 he produced his masterpiece, the portrait of The Painter Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, the most relevant and iconic work of his long career. Vicente López Portaña preserved his artistic talent throughout old age, producing portraits until the day of his death in Madrid on 22 July 1850.
About the sale Dialogues with the Past: Vestigia
Auction location
Auction time 07/02/2026 at 7:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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