Bildnis Karls IV., König von Spanien

Charles IV came to the Spanish throne in 1788, and Goya, newly made a painter to the king, had to supply the official image of the new monarch. This full-length portrait dates from around 1790, the king in court dress with the sash of his orders. It is a straight, respectful piece of state work, the kind an institution or a nobleman would request. What makes it worth a second look is what came later. Ten years on, Goya would paint the whole royal family together in a group so unflattering that people still argue over whether he meant it as mockery. In 1790 that was still ahead. This canvas hangs today in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples.