The carlist conspirator

Carlism came from the internal conflict which arose from the controversy regarding succession to the throne upon the death of Fernando VII. The liberal factions were aligned with the firstborn daughter of the King, Isabel, and her mother, the Queen Regent María Cristina, while the absolutist traditionalists backed Fernando’s brother, Carlos María Isidro. In this tense atmosphere Valeriano Domínguez Bécquer, who dedicated a large part of his efforts to Costumbrist painting, executed this portrait of a middle-aged man wearing a short grey cloak over a uniforme with the Carlist insignia embroidered in silver in its neck. In his right hand he holds a cane and a copy of the famous Carlist newspaper La Esperanza. The worrying figure, who lives with and arouses mistrust, is the product of a century characterised by instability and discord.