What was childhood like for the well-to-do between 1842 and 1855 in Madrid and Seville? The Museo del Prado recently unveiled a special display of eight brilliant portraits that offer both answers and stunning beauty.
On view through October 2017 at Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado, “Childhood Unveiled” is a tantalizing display of artistic talent, historical fashion, and the nature of being young and wealthy between 1842 and 1855.
Antonio María Esquivel y Suárez de Urbina, “Raimundo Roberto and Fernando José,” 1855, oil on canvas, 145 x 103 cm. (c) Museo Nacional del Prado 2016
Carefully curated from the museum’s impressive collection of Spanish Romantic portraiture, “Childhood Unveiled” is a look into the reign of Isabel II “with the aim of emphasizing two of the most important centers for Romantic art in Spain: Madrid and Seville,” the museum writes. “These eight portraits reveal different interpretations of childhood, a theme that became particularly popular among Romantic painters in a reflection of their clients’ new interests. The display of this selection will also allow for the first public presentation of an almost unknown work by Esquivel that has recently been added to the Museum’s collection.”
To learn more, visit the Museo Nacional del Prado.
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