José Palafox

It has been suggested that Goya painted this portrait of General Palafox during the painter's stay in Saragossa in 1808, between the two sieges of the Aragonese capital by Napoleon's troops. It therefore predates the magnificent equestrian portrait painted in 1814 and now in the National Prado Museum in Madrid.

José Rebolledo de Palafox y Melci, of noble descent, accompanied King Ferdinand VII in his exile in Bayonne and after his return to Spain was proclaimed Captain General of Aragon by the people of Saragossa, following the arrest of Captain General Jorge Guillelmi. He distinguished himself in the defence of Saragossa during the two sieges (June-August 1808 and December 1808-February 1809).

The portrait is almost life-size, knee-length, with dense brushstrokes and bright touches, with the face standing out against a neutral background. He is dressed in a general's uniform, suede trousers and a wide red belt from which hangs his sword, the hilt of which he holds in his left hand while resting his right hand on his hip. On his chest he wears the insignia of the Orders of Malta and Calatrava. The treatment of the head, with its abundant curly black hair and broad sideburns, and the face, with its piercing eyes gazing at the viewer, are particularly notable in the execution of this portrait.