iReal Academia de Bellas Artes de San FernandoSol / Alcalá
The American Footprint in Madrid
Marks the 250th anniversary of the United States with a rare 1796 portrait of George Washington by Josef Perovani, shown beside Goya's portrait of Manuel Godoy.
More in Madrid
Washington stands with his head tilted slightly to his right, one hand pointing at a treaty on the table, the other arm resting on a classical statue. Off to the left a ship sails, standing for the Mississippi navigation rights in that treaty. The Spanish diplomat Josef de Jáudenes wanted Gilbert Stuart to paint it as a gift for Manuel Godoy. Stuart said no, so the job went to Josef Perovani, an Italian painter living in Philadelphia.
The 1796 canvas, 220 by 145 cm, hangs in Room 14 on the museum's first floor with Goya's 1801 portrait of Godoy and Maella's Charles IV as Prince of Asturias. You walk in and the 1795 Treaty of San Lorenzo is all there: the president, the minister who signed for Spain, and the king he served.
It's four pieces in one room, part of the €10 museum ticket. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 15:00, and the show closes on 30 December.
Look for
Perovani's George Washington
Look at the right hand: it points to the Treaty of San Lorenzo on the table, with a five-pointed Masonic star below and a ship sailing at the left.
The statue under Washington's arm
He leans on a classical figure of justice and prudence, next to a gilded crest built from a laurel and an eagle.
The bust of Washington
The painted head turned into sculpture: marble and gilt bronze, made after Perovani's model at the royal hard-stone workshop of the Buen Retiro.
Good for
- An Hour Or Less
- Locals Who've Seen It All
- Nerding Out
Skip if
You want a full exhibition: this is four pieces in a single room.
Also at Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
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Image credits
9
- The American Footprint in MadridCourtesy of Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
- Mauritshuis Thyssen-Bornemisza: Masterpieces from The HagueCourtesy of Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
- Kenny Scharf© Kenny Scharf. Courtesy of the artist
- Seba Calfuqueo. CautinCourtesy of Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
- Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San FernandoStanislav Kozlovskiy (Ctac), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Espacio Fundación TelefónicaLev (Flickr: _lev_), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Museo Thyssen-BornemiszaLuis García (Zaqarbal), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Museo NavalFernando, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Casa de AméricaCarlos Delgado (Kadellar), CC BY-SA 3.0