Isidro Máiquez

Isidoro Máiquez (Cartagena, 1768-Granada, 1820) was considered to be one of the greatest stage actors of all time, as well as being a writer and director. He studied in Paris thanks to the help of the Duke and Duchess of Osuna, of whom he was protégé. One of his greatest performances was in bringing Shakespeare's Othello to life in 1802. Following the Spanish War of Independence, and owing to his liberal ideals, he was banished from the court to Granada, where he died.

Here the sitter is shown seated in a large armchair, wearing a grey buttoned jacket and bright white shirt. The most striking feature in this painting is the subject's face, which is brightly lit and is looking calmly out at the viewer with a melancholy air, displaying a pair of thick dark sideburns, in keeping with the fashion of the period.

Goya used rapid brushstrokes, giving the sensation that this portrait remains an unfinished work.

According to Margarita Moreno de las Heras, this simple portrait follows a model that is very similar to that used by the painter to depict his intellectual friends such as Moratín.

Another version of this same portrait (Isidro Máiquez), also considered autograph, is in the collection of the Art Institute de Chicago