18th-Century Goya to be Exhibited for First Time

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Portrait of Luis Maria de Borbon and Vallabriga, depicting a young child, was painted when Goya, born in 1746, was 37 years old. He died in 1828.

The painting was recently acquired by public authorities in the region of Aragon in northeastern Spain for $13 million from a branch of the royal Spanish family that had held the work for 223 years.

The child depicted is the 6-year-old nephew of King Charles III, and the work was executed soon after Goya began painting for the Spanish royal court. Goya did a similar portrait of the child’s sister, la Comtesse de Chinchon, which today hangs in the National Gallery in Washington.

After minor restoration, the portrait of the boy will be shown in the provincial museum of Saragossa. Goya’s most famous paintings, such as The Shooting of May 3 and The Naked Maja are hanging in the Prado.