Antonio Veyán y Monteagudo

Antonio Veyán y Monteagudo (Tamarite de Litera, Huesca, Ca. 1710-Madrid, 1784) was a student at the collegiate school of San Vicente, graduating in Law in 1728 and in Canon Law in 1732. He held various professorships at Huesca's Sertoriana University between the years of 1733 and 1748. He was Magistrate and Judge of the Court of Barcelona, as well as Regent of the Court of Asturias and a member of the Supreme Council and chamber of Castile.

The subject, with his less than attractive features, appears here in the centre of the composition, full length, almost life-size and looking straight out at the viewer. He wears a wig, black gown and a white magistrate's collar. In his right hand he holds a piece of paper bearing the painter's signature, whilst with his left hand he is gathering up his tunic at the waist. In the background, on the left-hand side, there is a desk covered with green fabric, over the top of which are spread papers and writing materials. Behind the desk, an open window gives us a glimpse of a tree-filled landscape, painted in colours reminiscent of the rococo style. On the right-hand side is a period armchair, upholstered in the same green as the desk and the large curtain that serves as a backdrop to this domestic scene. The floor is of reddish and brown hues.

This is an official court portrait of sorts, in which the expressive possibilities are somewhat limited - a far cry from the psychological insight achieved in the artist's work from the late 1780s onwards.

This was the first full-length portrait that Goya painted.