Attributed to Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

The sitter;

By whom gifted to Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, Principe de la Paz (1767-1851), Madrid;

TThence by descent to his daughter, Carlota Luisa de Godoy y Borbón, Condesa de Chinchón (1800 - 1886), Palacio de Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, until at least 1867 (listed in the inventory, no. 97);

heD. Marinao Hernando, Madrid, by 1900 and until at least 1908;

Luis de Navas, Madrid;

With Colnaghi, London;

With Knoedler & Co., London, 1921 (stock # 12877);

With John Levy Galleries, New York (acquired from above, September 1928);

Oscar B. Cintas (1887-1957), Havana and New York, by 1941;

Bequeathed in 1957 to the CINTAS Foundation, Miami.

This handsome portrait dates from circa 1784-5, early in Goya's career and before he became the official Painter to the King. At that time he was mostly preoccupied with religious commissions and tapestry designs; it wasn't until the late 1780s and into the 1790s that demand for his portraiture skyrocketed and he began producing the deeply psychological portraits that he would become so famous for.  

Here Goya has presented Admiral Mazarredo in a somewhat conventional format which adheres to standard practice at the time. He is shown in his naval uniform, which is adorned with The Cross of the Order of Santiago.¹ He seated in an upright manner at a table, holding a watch, the sea and frigate shown beyond to allude to Mazarredo's naval career. Admiral Mazarredo, who was not only a naval commander but also an accomplished cartographer, astronomer, and professor of naval tactics, had a highly distinguished career leading the Spanish navy in engagements throughout the world. His innovative tactical theories were employed by Spain in the American Revolutionary War, where he served as Cordova's chief of staff and boldly maneuvered a large British envoy in August of 1780. At the end of the war, he went to Algiers as the Spanish Ambassador to negotiate peace after the Spanish bombardment. He continued to have an illustrious naval career and by 1804 was sent to France as the Spanish Ambassador, though after a clash with Napoleon he returned to Spain. 

Admiral Mazarredo gifted the present portrait to Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, Principe de la Paz, and it descended to his daughter, who displayed it in the Palacio de Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, for much of the nineteenth century. The painting has been published and exhibited as by the master himself consistently throughout its history, though recently some scholars have suggested it could have been completed in his workshop. Dr. William B. Jordan, who viewed the work in person, believed it could be by Goya. 

A replica of the portrait was in the collection of the sitter's family but lost during the Spanish Civil War.²

A NOTE ON THE PROVENANCE:

The prominent industrialist and arts patron Oscar B. Cintas (1887-1957) made his fortune in the sugar and railroad businesses and served as Cuba's Ambassador to the United States from 1932-34. Throughout his life he was a passionate collector of art, and he assembled a magnificent collection of European Old Masters by the likes of Rembrandt, Bellini, Moroni and El Greco; American paintings by 20th century masters including George Bellows; and renowned historical documents including the only first edition of Don Quixote and the fifth and final manuscript of Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" which he bequeathed to the nation and remains on display in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House. Shortly before his death, Cintas formed the CINTAS Foundation (originally called the Cuban Art Foundation), which is dedicated to supporting artists of Cuban descent.³ The Foundation oversees two important collections of art: contemporary work produced by CINTAS Fellows, as well as a group of Spanish Old Masters.

1. Mazarredo achieved this Order in 1793, so it is likely the decoration in the painting was later added to his uniform, a common practice. 

2. Oil on canvas, 103 by 82 cm., see https://fundaciongoyaenaragon.es/obra/el-almirante-jose-de-mazarredo/339

3. For more information on the CINTAS Foundation, see https://www.cintasfoundation.org/