Jorge Miguel Lozano de Peralta, Marquis of San Jorge from 1772 to 1777

New Granada portraits preserved today are scarce; most of them were dedicated for important ecclesiastical and political personalities, such as Jorge Miguel Lozano de Peralta.

Lozano was one of the most important figures living in Santafé during the second half of the 18^th century. Descendent from a renowned Spanish encomenderos family that arrived to América in 16^th century, he inherited a remarkable amount of lands and wealth.

In the cartouche placed at the bottom of the portrait, there is a description of the assets he inherited from Maldonado de Mendoza’s family, along with the positions he assumed in Santafé city. Both his inheritance and his positions bestowed upon him enormous prestige.

The prestige of his lineage is reinforced with a coat of arms located in the upper right corner of the painting. A gold crown decorated with four fleuron and pearls is placed above this emblem to refer to the marquis title held by the sitter.

Marquis title guaranteed access to greater benefits and positions, that’s why Lozano, being creole, must certify his “purity of blood”. In this document he possibly used the peninsular origin of his wife, María Thadea González, to prove his noble Spanish linage.

Lozano received marquis title in 1772 from viceroy Pedro Messía de la Zerda. However, he never paid for the rights Royal Court demanded of him to hold the title, so he lose the right to hold it in 1777, but he continue using it illegally untill his death, in 1793.

Before his marquisate was revoked, Lozano de Peralta commissioned two portraits: one of himself and the other of his wife. With them he sought to boast about the title he held by that time. It was the painter Joaquin Gutiérrez who took this assignment in 1775.

The portrait, seeking to account for his noble character, depicts Lozano de Peralta wearing a white suit with gold brocades and a curler wig, characteristic elements of the 18^th century French fashion, spread in America with the rise of arrival of bourbons to power.

The white beca on which the Dominican shield is printed refers to Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Its presence in the portrait could be seen as a sample of power, since studying at this institution required a privileged social and economic position.