Diego Velázquez, 'Portrait of Archbishop Fernando de Valdés', 1640-5

Portrait of Archbishop Fernando de Valdés

Diego Velázquez

Not on display

About the work

Overview

Fernando de Valdés has an imposing stare. His black cloak – an expanse of plain, heavy fabric – makes him appear larger than he really is, and a matching bishop’s hat indicates his prestigious status within the Church. His clothing and the opulent red curtain trimmed with gold, like the chair on which he sits, suggest grandeur.

In 1633 Valdés was appointed Archbishop of Granada and President of the Council of Castile, after which he became a prominent figure at the Spanish court of Philip IV. His grey beard and the dark circles under his eyes show his age – we see him during the later stages of his life and career.

Valdés died in 1639. This is probably a posthumous portrait made during the 1640s, and could be a fragment from a larger, full-length work.

In-depth

Fernando de Valdés has an imposing stare: he was clearly a man who commanded respect. His black cloak – an expanse of plain, dark and heavy fabric – makes him appear larger than he really is and a matching bishop’s hat, rigidly positioned on his head, shows his prestigious status within the Church. His clothing and the opulent red curtain trimmed with gold, like the chair on which he sits, suggest subtle grandeur.

In 1633 Valdés was appointed Archbishop of Granada and President of the Council of Castile, after which he became a prominent figure at the Spanish court of Philip IV. He was at the height of his career in the 1630s, having previously been appointed Bishop of Teruel (1625) and Bishop Elect of León (1632). Valdés’s noble expression conveys his power as a member of the Church and government. His grey beard and the dark circles under his eyes show his age – we see him in the later stages of his life and career.

During his seven years in Madrid, Valdés commissioned a full-length seated portrait from Velázquez (now lost); a copy of this painting survives in the Count of Toreno collection, Madrid. The bust-length portrait we see here, and another painting of a hand holding a letter signed by Velázquez, could be fragments from a larger, full-length work. Valdés died in 1639 and this is probably a posthumous portrait made during the 1640s.

Velázquez used his skill as a portraitist to secure a position as court painter in 1623. During the 1620s and 1630s, he painted numerous portraits of Philip IV, other members of the royal family and various dignitaries present at court – two of them, Philip IV of Spain in Brown and Silver and Philip IV of Spain, are in our collection.

Key facts

Details

Full title: Portrait of Archbishop Fernando de Valdés
Artist: Diego Velázquez
Artist dates: 1599 - 1660
Date made: 1640-5
Medium and support: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 63.5 × 59.6 cm
Acquisition credit: Bought with a contribution from the Art Fund, 1967
Inventory number: NG6380
Location: Not on display
Collection: Main Collection
Frame: 17th-century Spanish Frame

Provenance

Probably the picture described by Sir David Wilkie in the collection of José de Madrazo in Madrid in 1828 and in the Sir David Wilkie sale, Christie’s, 30 April, 1842 (lot 683; 12½ gns.), bought Simpson. Sir George I. Campbell of Succoth sale, Christie’s, 19 July, 1946 (lot 20; 35 gns.). Acquired in 1950 by Mr. Hugh Borthwick-Norton and by descent to Mr. Angus Bainbrigge, by whom lent to the National Gallery 1959–67. Exhibited Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, Stora Spanska Mästare, 1959/60 (no. 101); Madrid, Velázquez y lo velazqueño, 1961 (no. 62). Bought in 1967 with the aid of a contribution from the National Art-Collections Fund.

Additional information

This painting is included in a list of works with incomplete provenance from 1933–1945; for more information see Whereabouts of paintings 1933–1945.

Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised by Allan Braham, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Spanish School’, London 1988; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.

Exhibition history

2017

Rojo Mexicano: La grana cochinilla en el arte

Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes

7 November 2017 - 25 February 2018
2023

Masterpieces from the National Gallery

Shanghai Art Museum East

17 January 2023 - 7 May 2023

National Museum of Korea

2 June 2023 - 9 October 2023

Hong Kong Palace Museum

22 November 2023 - 11 April 2024

Chimei Museum

2 May 2024 - 1 September 2024

Bibliography

1946

Christie's, Catalogue of Pictures by Old Masters the Property of Sir George I. Campbell of Succoth, Bart., London, 19 July 1946
1960

T. Crombie, 'Archbishop Fernando de Valdés. Some Notes on a Recently Identified Portrait', The Connoisseur, 1960, pp. 102-4
1960

E.L. Ferrari et al., Velázquez y lo Velazqueño (exh. cat. Casón del Buen Retiro, 10 December 1960 - 23 February 1961), Madrid 1960
1960

J. Ainaud de Lasarte, 'Velázquez y los retratos de Don Fernando de Valdés', in Varia Velazqueña, Madrid 1960, vol. 1
1967

The National Gallery, The National Gallery: January 1965 - December 1966, London 1967
1968

A. Braham, 'Shorter Notice: Archbishop Fernando de Valdés; the Problem of Velázquez's Portrait', The Burlington Magazine, CX/784, 1968, pp. 401-8
1969

The National Gallery, The National Gallery: January 1967 - December 1968, London 1969
1970

N. MacLaren and A. Braham, The Spanish School, 2nd edn, London 1970
1988

Maclaren, Neil, revised by Allan Braham, National Gallery Catalogues: The Spanish School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1988
1996

J. López-Rey, Velázquez: Catalogue Raisonné, Cologne 1996
1998

Y. Bottineau, Velázquez, Paris 1998
2001

C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
2001

K. Hellwig, 'Las firmas de Velázquez', Boletín del Museo del Prado, XIX/37, 2001, pp. 21-46

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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You've viewed 6 of 8 works

Diego Velázquez, 'Portrait of Archbishop Fernando de Valdés', 1640-5

About the work

Overview

In-depth

Key facts

Details

Provenance

Additional information

Questions: 1933–1945

Source

Exhibition history

Bibliography

About this record

Images

More works by Diego Velázquez