Spanish
Colonial Oil Portrait
A commanding oil portrait of a Spanish colonial official, painted in Lima, Peru, circa 1750–1770. The sitter wears the full regalia of the Viceroyalty of Peru, including a sash of the Order of Santiago and embroidered coat. The composition follows the conventions of official portraiture established by the Seville school, suggesting the painter trained in Spain before emigrating to the New World. The canvas, on its original stretcher, bears an old label on the verso with the sitter's partial name and the year 1762. Recent technical examination by the Getty Conservation Institute has confirmed period pigments throughout.