Portrait of Cardinal Juan Pardo Tavera

The Portrait of Cardinal Tavera is a work by El Greco, painted around 1609, during his last period in Toledo. It is kept in the Hospital de Tavera in Toledo.

Cardinal Juan Pardo de Tavera was the founder of the Hospital of San Juan Bautista in Toledo, popularly known by the name of its founder. This is interesting because El Greco painted only three portraits of high-ranking members of the Catholic Church hierarchy, and this is one of them.

El Greco painted the cleric posthumously, as he had died in 1545. He must therefore have used a canvas and, above all, a death mask, both works by Alonso Berruguete, which are still kept in the hospital itself.

In the painting, El Greco shows the deep lines and the bloodless appearance of the figure's face, due to the illness that led to his death, but he also emphasises his strong and vital character.

His figure is shown in three-quarters profile, looking slightly to the right, against a dark neutral background.

The fact that he is based on a death mask could explain the coldness of his gaze.

He wears a red cassock over an elaborate lace rochet.

In front of him is a table covered with a deep green tablecloth, on which rests his cardinal's birreta and a book - perhaps a breviary - on which he rests his chalice. He is wearing a red cassock over an elaborate lace rochet.

The colours are very vivid, with green and purple tones, and the brushwork is loose, typical of El Greco's last period. The execution is perfect in the sharp face, the left hand and the beautiful purple reflections of the mozzetta.

The figure is presented as another archetype of 16th and early 17th century Spain.