Enrique Larreta (1875-1961) was a prominent Argentine writer, diplomat and art collector. He was born in Buenos Aires into a family of the Buenos Aires elite and studied law at the University of Buenos Aires. Although he began his career as a lawyer, he quickly became interested in literature and diplomacy, which would lead him to reside in various places, including Madrid, where he was appointed minister plenipotentiary of Argentina in 1910. His novel La gloria de don Ramiro gives a good account of Larreta's admiration for Spanish culture, something that was felt in his private collection.
He was very interested in Spanish Renaissance and Baroque art. He acquired the pieces during his stays in Europe, especially in France and Spain between 1910 and 1916. To this end, he came into contact with numerous antique dealers such as José de Arteche, Lafora Calatayud, Luis Orlando and Henry Bégué, among others (Nobilia, 2018). After his death in 1961, his heirs sold the house to the Municipality and donated most of his father's collection to prevent it from being dismembered. Thus, in 1962 the "Enrique Larreta" Museum of Spanish Art was inaugurated (Nobilia, 2018).