Title

Portrait of a Man

painter

Theotocopoulos, Domenicos [attributed to] (Creta, ca. 1541 - Toledo, ca. 1614)

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Inscriptions / Marks

Signed, on the reverse: 

“doménikos Theotokópol / epóiei”

Object history

El Greco's dedication to small-format painting has been the subject of much debate, both in his possible consideration as a miniaturist and, mainly, by virtue of the authorship of some of the works attributed to him. The Cretan must have had links in Rome with the miniaturist Giorgio Giulio Clovio; although, according to Fernando Marías, "although he could paint small-sized works, so far the Greek cannot be considered a miniaturist, as an illuminator of books and manuscripts with a specific technique"; rather, he is recognized as a "portraitist in small format" (Fernando Marías, 2014, p. 171). Ruiz Gómez, in the same vein, uses the term piccola pittura when addressing this genre of works made by the master. Within the group of paintings of this small size attributed to El Greco is this image that is part of the catalog of The Hispanic Society of America.

On the occasion of the exhibition El griego de Toledo, the close relationship between this portrait and others of larger format made by the painter could be noticed (Fernando Marías, 2014). The truth is that there has been no consensus among art historians regarding this piece, as Harold Wethey rejected in 1962 all attributions to the Cretan painter of these miniature paintings, including this Portrait of a Gentleman. Others have accepted, because of its quality and signature, its ascription to the Cretan, such as Elizabeth du Gué Trapier, Manuel B. Cossío, or José Camón Aznar among others. Fernando Marías addresses this problem: "Until today, several small portraits have been attributed to El Greco of Toledo. Of the pair of Lady and Gentleman from around 1586 (...) from the Hispanic Society of America in New York, only the gentleman has remained" (Fernando Marías, 2014, p. 172), precisely this is the painting that concerns us.

The truth is that the work is not documented before its acquisition by A. M. Huntington in 1912 in Paris, through the art dealer Eleanor Sánchez Wilcox. This miniature was accompanied by another companion: Portrait of a Woman, a painting of which the important doubts about its manufacture by El Greco have ended up dismissing such consideration, both would not even be from the same period. In order to understand this circumstance, it is necessary to take into account that in the first decades of the twentieth century the international demand for works by El Greco was so intense that a lively market unfolded not only for original works, but also for copies, reproductions, or even forgeries of paintings by the master (Martínez Ruiz, 2017).

After their acquisition by Huntington, it was claimed that the two paintings, Portrait of a Gentleman and Portrait of a Lady, came from the collection of a private individual from Valladolid, Ricardo Martínez Sobejano, and this is reported by The Hispanic Society of America. Martínez Sobejano was a lawyer who held the position of dean of the Bar Association of Valladolid on different occasions, as was the case in 1829, 1837, 1838, or 1842. In 1843, the list of lawyers that formed part of the said bar association refers to him as ex-dean and honorary magistrate of the Territorial Court of Granada. At that time he was established at Corredera de San Pablo, No. 9. However, in 1862 he appears domiciled in Plaza de San Miguel, No. 15 of the city (List of Lawyers of the Illustrious College of Valladolid in 1862). He was an Academician of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of the Purísima Concepción; he took possession of such dignity on September 20, 1850, and was also distinguished in such institution as honorary academician. He died in 1863(El Eco del País, 19/6/1863, p.3.); therefore, it is possible that, if this piece was found in his collection, it was dispersed later.

From Valladolid also came Benigno de la Vega-Inclán y Flaquer, Marquis de la Vega-Inclán (Valladolid, 1858-Madrid, 1942), one of the great promoters of the diffusion of El Greco's work in the first decades of the 20th century, architect of the Casa-Museo del Greco in Toledo and of the Casa-Museo de Cervantes in Valladolid. He maintained friendship with the monarch Alfonso XIII, who put him in charge of the Comisaría Regia de Turismo, an office created to the measure of Vega-Inclán. He was also one of the main dealers of Cretan works and a close friend of Archer Milton Huntington, founder of the Hispanic Society of America. Vega-Inclán regularly offered works of art to Huntington and sought their export. In addition, he persuaded the American collector to collaborate in the creation of the Cervantes House-Museum in the city, where the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of the Immaculate Conception of Valladolid is also located.

Description

The sitter directs his gaze to the viewer, and thus manages to captivate our attention as surprised observers. Only his ruff adds a touch of light to a chromatic palette dominated by dark tones. The sobriety of the gentleman and the intensity of his gaze recall other larger portraits of this period, such as the Caballero de la Casa de Leiva, also from Valladolid and now in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Locations

• Unknown date

  private collection

  Ricardo Martínez Sobejano, Valladolid (Spain) *

• 1912 - 1922

  private collection

  Archer Milton Huntington, New York (United States) *

• 1922 - present

  museum

  The Hispanic Society of America, New York (United States)