Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746–1828). <em>Portrait of Don Tadeo Bravo de Rivero</em>, 1806. Oil on canvas, 81 1/2 × 45 11/16 in. (207 × 116 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the executors of the Estate of Colonel Michael Friedsam, 34.490 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 34.490_SL1.jpg)

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746–1828). Portrait of Don Tadeo Bravo de Rivero, 1806. Oil on canvas, 81 1/2 × 45 11/16 in. (207 × 116 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the executors of the Estate of Colonel Michael Friedsam, 34.490 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 34.490_SL1.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Were dogs a popular pet back then?

Yes, dogs were as big back then as now. Many rich or royal families kept specially bred dogs as companions/pets or as valuable hunting dogs! The hunting dog here is a formal quotation from the many portraits of the Spanish royal family by Diego Velazquez, who also often depicted his subjects outdoors alongside hunting dogs. Goya, the portraitist here, was obsessed with Velazquez and copied many of his paintings in the then royal collection--now the Prado Museum. The dog here is also an allegory of fidelity; it shows the allegiance of the sitter, Don Tadeo Bravo de Rivero, to the Spanish king, Charles IV.

That portrait by Goya has been in storage for a while and was just recently brought out into the galleries again!

What is the dog's name? Who does he belong to?

Dogs often play an important part in portraiture. We don't know the dog's name, but many wealthy individuals did keep dogs as personal pets. Goya may have included this dog as a traditional symbol of fidelity, suggesting Don Tadeo Bravo de Rivero's devotion to his king.

This portrait shows Don Tadeo's military rank and his social status: he is wearing his cavalry uniform, with a medal pinned to his scarlet jacket. His sword is very elegant, meant more for display than for use. Goya also painted royalty as well as military leaders and wealthy individuals he was very much in demand as a portraitist in his time.

Was Don Tadeo an important person?

Yes, in addition to being a military general, Don Tadeo served as a deputy for the city of Lima in Peru. He and Goya were friends, you can see that the artist signed the painting, "to my friend Don Tadeo Bravo de Rivero" at lower right.

Cool, thanks.

Portrait of Don Tadeo Bravo de Rivero

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes

European Art

On View:

In their formal full-length portraits, Old and New World elites proudly defined themselves through their things. The colonial Peruvian nobleman Tadeo Bravo de Rivero sat for Francisco de Goya y Lucientes wearing the brilliant scarlet uniform of a cavalry officer. The medal of the chivalric Order of Santiago displayed on his lapel points to one of the ways that Creoles (American-born Spaniards) elevated their rank within the empire’s social and racial hierarchy. At the officer’s feet is a dog, the traditional symbol of fidelity, suggesting the subject’s devotion to his king.

ARTIST Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Spanish, 1746–1828

MEDIUM Oil on canvas

Place Made: Spain

DATES 1806

DIMENSIONS 81 1/2 × 45 11/16 in. (207 × 116 cm) frame: 91 × 58 × 4 in. (231.1 × 147.3 × 10.2 cm) (show scale)

INSCRIPTIONS Inscribed, lower left: "Dn. Tadeo Bravo de/Rivero por su amgo. Goya/1806"

COLLECTIONS European Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 34.490

CREDIT LINE Gift of the executors of the Estate of Colonel Michael Friedsam

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746–1828). Portrait of Don Tadeo Bravo de Rivero, 1806. Oil on canvas, 81 1/2 × 45 11/16 in. (207 × 116 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the executors of the Estate of Colonel Michael Friedsam, 34.490 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 34.490_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 34.490_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions

This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.