The Infant Charles of Austria

This drawing of Goya, framed by a fine line is sanguine, shows the standing figure of Infant Charles of Austria (1607-1632), brother of the Spanish King Philip IV, against a neutral background. The original painting, now in the Prado National Museum was painted by Diego Velázquez around 1626-1627. The prince wears a dark suit and short cloak. The only ornaments he wears are the chain and the cord with the Golden Fleece.

Goya faithfully imitated Velazquez´s painting, capturing in the drawing the gradations of light and the shadows of the ground that appear in the original oil painting, as well as the details of the chain, the Fleece and the clothing. 

Unlike the drawing The Water carrier of Seville, this one has no evidence of engraving an no known proof of state. It is one of what Gassier-Wilson called additional drawings: five drawings copied from works by Velazquez to be engraved but for which no proof of state is known. All of them are in the Hamburger Kunsthalle, along with others from the series that were engraved. Apart from the present one, these drawings are: The Water Carrier of Seville; Philip IV, Hunter; Prince Balthasar Charles, Hunter; and The Boy of Vallecas.