Ferdinand VII (Fernando VII)

Ferdinand VII (San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 1784-Madrid, 1833) was proclaimed King of Spain in 1808, although soon afterwards he was forced into exile by the Napoleonic invasion. After the expulsion of Joseph Bonaparte, he reined once again, from 1814 up until his death. His reign was characterised by a return to absolutism and the persecution of liberals and afrancesados, or supporters of the French.

To execute this painting, Goya made use of the life studies that he had made for the portrait of Ferdinand VII on horseback, painted in 1808.

This half-length portrait depicts the monarch seated in front of a neutral background, accompanied by the symbols of his power: the royal crown, the baton adorned with castles and lions, and the robes of state, lined with ermine fur and held in place by a single button, over the top of which the necklace of the Order of the Golden Fleece hangs, with the blue and white sash of the Order of Charles III visible underneath.

The king has his head turned to the right, and the somewhat lost look upon his face gives him an absent, distracted appearance. According to some scholars of Goya's work, the artist was no great admirer of this monarch, for which reason he tended to represent him as an unpleasant, arrogant character.