Miguel de Múzquiz y Goyeneche, Count of Gausa

We can say with certainty that Miguel de Múzquiz y Goyeneche (Elbete, Navarre, 1817 - Madrid, 1785), Marquis of Villar de Ladrón and Count of Gausa, knew Goya before 1783, as he had signed the invoices for the cartoons delivered between 1775 and 1779 to the Tapestry Factory, which must have led him to choose him to paint his portrait. On the other hand, the technique and style indicate a date prior to 1783. In those years Goya had received few commissions of this nature, and in later years he demonstrated more skill. The painting's deep green and gold tones and the warm-toned tiles are closely related to Goya's first known official portrait, that of Antonio Veyán y Monteagudo of 1782 ( Museum of Fine Arts, Huesca).

The defined details of the face, with its strong, precise brushstrokes, show a deep, kindly gaze that also reflects a certain melancholy and weariness. The embroidery and buckles emphasise the figure's presence in the luminous space. Some areas, such as the silky sheen of the coat, reveal the skill and speed of his pictorial technique. In this portrait, unlike the more modern portrait by Cabarrús, Goya added elements common to portraits of apparatus, such as the gilt table and the drapery.

A three-quarter copy is known to have belonged to José Lázaro Galdiano until shortly after 1913. It has been in the Ibercaja Goya Museum since 2022.