(Spanish, 1838-1874)

Study for a figure in Apunte de personaje dieciochesco (para La vicaria), or The Vicarage, held by the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona, 1870, signed lower left 'Fortuny', with estate stamp 'Fortuny' encircled in red ink (Lugt 493), pencil on wove paper, 9-5/8 x 7 in.

Provenance: April 26-30, 1875, Paris (experts Feral and Ch. Mannheim); Samuel Putnam Avery, Jr. Collection: Paul W. Cooley, Hartford Connecticut, No. 180 (label verso, presumed from former backing); The Collection of Clare and Jared Edwards, West Hartford, Connecticut

Note: '...refined, mannered style known in Catalonia as 'dress coat painting', done with all the prodigious technical skill of a virtuoso, representing subjects set in the eighteenth century. The scene depicted in 'The Vicarage' is the signing of a marriage contract, in which elements are introduced that reveal his wide-ranging culture and his fascination and admiration for Goya. 'The Vicarage' met with great success in Paris, where Fortuny became one of the artists most coveted by the American collectors of the time.'

Sketch held by the Prado: https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/obra-de-arte/apunte-de-personaje-dieciochesco-para-la-vicaria/79832bdc-8355-4a86-a3e9-bcd38f6118cb

taped in at top two corners, remnant of tape at top corners from former mount, soft handling creases