Portrait of the Viceroy, the Duke of Linares

The portrait which Juan Rodríguez Juárez painted of the Viceroy, the Duke of Linares, who governed New Spain from 1711 to 1716, is an outstanding item in the collection. The portrayal of such an elevated personage was entrusted to one of the best painters in México City, Juan Rodríguez Juárez, who, in addition to being respected for his handling of religious topics, was an outstanding exponent of other genres as attested to by the high quality of this piece. The work is also noteworthy for its introduction of features that bear witness to the transition from local pictorial fashions to the new Frenchified style imposed at court by Philip V. The Viceroy, full-figure and facing 90 degrees sideways, is positioned along the central vertical axis of the composition. Though it was customary to paint the portraits of viceroys, it was crucial that the portrayal of the Duke of Linares stress the subject’s authority and political experience. Hence the biographical inscription, the French-influenced clothing, the commander's baton, the table, the clock and the drapery with the coat of arms all signal the dignity and prestige of the subject. When the finished work was displayed, it fulfilled its purpose of commemorating and exalting the crown representative, besides encouraging the painting of other portraits. It likewise seems probable that this work was displayed at the obsequies in 1718 organized by the Carmelites of Saint Sebastian on the occasion of the Duke of Linares' death, in order to honor him as a benefactor of their order. This portrait remained in the Saint Sebastian Convent for some 142 years. When the latter building was abandoned in 1860, it passed to the San Carlos Academy. In 1964 it entered the collection of the San Diego Viceregal Painting Gallery, passing to the MUNAL 36 years later.