Female portrait

"Joaquim Espalter was born in 1809 in Sitges where his father, who was a merchant in Barcelona, had temporarily moved because of the Peninsular War. He studied in Barcelona, Marseille and Rome, and in 1842 he settled in Madrid, where he became the court painter of Isabella II. Espalter is mainly known for his portraits of Madrid’s bourgeoisie.
In the 19th century, portrait painting was the leading artistic genre in Europe. Social and economic transformations led to the emergence of new clients made up of the wealthy nobility and members of the bourgeoisie who considered that portraits represented social prestige. Usually the clients themselves chose how they wanted to pose, depending on the image they wanted to give.
Below is a portrait of a middle-aged, unknown woman. Her fair skin, white gloves and handkerchief, and her gold jewellery, are the only items that stand out among the general darkness of the work, where black is the main colour."