Bildnis des Infanten Antonio Pascual von Spanien (1755-1817)

In 1800 Goya was newly named First Court Painter and set to work on a huge group portrait of the royal family. To prepare it he painted each sitter's head from life on a small canvas, then assembled them into the finished picture. This is one of those studies. The man is Antonio Pascual, younger brother of King Charles IV, who stands almost hidden at the back of the great family group now in the Prado. Goya's method was practical. He brought the royals in one by one, caught the face quickly and directly, and worried about the arrangement later. Here the infante looks out plainly, without ceremony, the paint thin and rapid, a court portrait still in its working state before the gold and medals were added around it.