Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington

Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington

The Duke of Wellington is wearing a civilian attire, which was his customary battle dress. The sword and belt are of an Iberian style and are likely imaginary embellishments by Goya. The painting is unfinished and has many visible changes. It is believed that Goya painted this portrait in just three weeks, between August 12, 1812, when Wellington entered Madrid, and September 2, 1812, when it was exhibited at the Real Academia de San Fernando.

Public domain

Madrid, Real Academia de San Fernando, 2–4 September 1812

WM 1566–1948

Wellington was the only Englishman, and one of only a few foreigners ever to sit to Goya. . An announcement in the Diario de Madrid of 1 September 1812 refers to it as ‘the equestrian portrait (…) of Lord Wellington (…) which has just been executed by (…) D. Francisco Goya". In a letter Goya himself writes: "Yesterday His Excellency Sr. Willington, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, was here. A plan to exhibit his portrait in the Royal Academy was discussed, about which he showed much pleasure" (letter in Fundación Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid)

294 x 241 cm

The speed at which the painting was created explains its unfinished look. An X-ray of the painting shows that Goya painted the Duke of Wellington's head over the head of an earlier sitter. The X-ray also shows that the earlier sitter wore a large hat, a star on his chest, and a sash over his right shoulder. Goya painted Wellington's face over the hat, which is why the Duke has a taller and broader body than the original figure. As Allan Braham points out, this change in the anatomy of the shoulders, right arm, and back may also explain why Wellington is depicted as a civilian, even though he was a victorious general. The alternative explanation, that Goya simply painted over an earlier version of the Duke's head, is unlikely, as the face looks different and there is evidence of overpainting on the star and sash. Braham suggests that the original sitter was Joseph Bonaparte, whose portrait was painted over when Wellington entered Madrid. This would have been a symbolic gesture, as it would have shown that the political situation in Madrid had changed. However, Xavier de Salas argues that the original sitter was Manuel Godoy, Prince of Peace. He bases this argument on a comparison of the facial features and the overpainted decoration, as well as on the position of the horse, which is based on Velázquez's portrait of Philip IV. This identification has been supported by Isadora Rose-de Viejo. Unfortunately, the face in the X-ray is not clear enough to provide definitive evidence for either identification. Some authors have reported an unlikely story about a portrait sitting between Goya and Wellesley. They say that Goya misinterpreted a gesture of Wellesley's as hostile and drew a pistol on him. Wellesley then drew his sword, and only the intervention of their friends prevented a fight. However, this story is highly unlikely. Aureliano Beruete y Moret, a Spanish art historian, has debunked this story. He argues that Wellesley would not have made such a gesture without reason, Goya would not have threatened a major military figure with a weapon, painters do not usually work with loaded pistols next to their easels, and Goya could not have escaped punishment for an act like this during a time of war. Beruete y Moret believes that this story is one of many anecdotes told in connection with Goya's legendary grumpiness. It is said that Wellesley flew into a rage at one of his subordinates during the sitting. Goya, who was deaf and did not understand English very well, was relieved to know that Wellesley was not angry about his appearance in the portrait. In fact, when he hung it at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, he reported that Wellesley "manifested a great deal of pleasure" from seeing it.

1812