by Francisco Goya, 1801
Francisco Goya painted The Family of Charles IV in 1800-1801, grouping the Spanish royal family in their finest clothing and jewels. King Charles IV and Queen María Luisa stand at center, surrounded by their children and relatives. Goya himself appears painting in the shadows at left, echoing Velázquez's Las Meninas.
Critics have long debated whether Goya subtly mocked his patrons. The faces seem unsparingly realistic, the queen domineering, the king passive. Yet the royal family loved the portrait. Either they didn't notice any satire, or Goya balanced criticism with enough flattery to please them.
The brilliant fabrics shimmer with silk and gold embroidery. The Prado displays this monumental canvas as both a technical work and a psychological study of power.
Other masterpieces from the Romanticism movement

John Constable, 1821
National Gallery, London

Théodore Géricault, 1819
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Eugène Delacroix, 1834
Louvre, Paris, Paris

J.M.W. Turner, 1839
National Gallery, London

Jean-François Millet, 1859
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Jean-François Millet, 1857
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Eugène Delacroix, 1827
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Thomas Cole, 1842
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection