Anton Raphael Mengs

Probably the painting described by Don José Nicolas de Azara in 1780 as being commissioned by Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendoza, XIII Conde de Ribadavia, de Castrojeriz y de Villazopeque (1715–1776);

Thence by descent to Don Joaquín María Gayoso de los Cobos y Bermudez de Castro, XV Conde de Ribadavia y XII Marqués de Camarasa (1778–1849);

Thence by marriage and inheritance to

Don Andrés Avelino de Arteaga y Silva Carvajal y Téllez Girón, XVI Duque del Infantado (1833–1915);

Don Joaquín de Arteaga y Echagüe Silva y Méndez de Vigo XVII Duque del Infantado y Marqués de Santillana y de Ariza (1870–1947) (his collection labels affixed to the reverse);

Thence by descent to his daughter Doña Teresa de Jesús de Arteaga y Falguera, XII Marquesa de la Eliseda and Condesa de los Andes (1909–1962);

Thence by direct descent until

Anonymously sold (‘The Property of a Nobleman’), London, Sotheby’s, 10 July 2014, lot 227;

Where acquired by the present owner.

Probably J.N. de Azara, Obras de D. Antonio Rafael Mengs, Primer Pintor de Camera del Rey, Madrid 1780 and English ed. London 1796, pp. 71–72;

Probably G.L. Bianconi, Elogio storico del Cavaliere Anton Raffaele Mengs scritto dal Consigler Bianconi con un catalogo in Fine delle Opere da esso fatte, Milan 1780, no. 91;

Probably J.P. Doray de Longrais, Œuvres de Mengs, Regensburg 1782, p. 32;

Probably H. Jansen, Œuvres complètes d'Anthoine Raphael Mengs, Paris 1786, vol. I, pp. 61–62;

Probably C.F. Prange, Des Ritters Anton Raphael Mengs ersten Mahlers Karl III König in Spanien hinterlassne Werke, Halle 1786, vol. I, pp. 94–95;

Probably G.N. de Azara and C. Fea, Opere di Antonio Raffaello Mengs, primo pittore del Re cattolico Carlo III, Rome 1787, pp. 43 and 45;

Probably A. Ponz, Viaje fuera de España, vol. XIV, Madrid 1788, p. 48;

Probably G.K. Nagler, Neues Allgemeines Künstler-Lexikon, vol. IX, Munich 1840, p. 119;

Probably G. Schilling (ed.), Anton Raphael Mengs’ sämmtliche hinterlassene Schriften, vol. I, Bonn 1843–44, p. 25, no. 32;

Probably D. Honisch, Anton Raphael Mengs und die Bildform des Frühklassisizmus, Recklinghausen 1965, p. 135, no. 343;

S. Roettgen, Anton Raphael Mengs 1725–1779, Munich 1999, vol. I, p. 129, no. 82;

J. Jordán, ‘Sobra la lista de las pinturas de Mengs, existentes, o hechas en España’, in Bolètin Museo del Prado, vol. 18, no. 36, 2000, p. 75.