Attributed to Andrea Procaccini, XVIII century.

Attributed to ANDREA PROCACCINI (Rome, 1671 - Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, 1734).
"Portrait of Cardinal Carlos de Borja".
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
The definitive is in the Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Provenance: family of the portrayed.
Measurements: 76 x 58 cm; 101 x 81 cm (frame).

Oil painting attributed to the Italian artist Andrea Procaccini. It represents a bust portrait of Cardinal Carlos de Borja y Centellas (Gandía,1663 - Real Sitio de San Ildefonso,1733). We are before a canvas that presents evident stylistic concomitances with the definitive portrait of the cardinal made by Andrea Procaccini, which is conserved in the Prado Museum. Its direct provenance from the family of Cardinal Borgia adds a significant historical value.

The cardinal is portrayed in a three-quarter pose, with his body slightly turned to the right as his face turns to look directly at the viewer. His gaze is penetrating and his expression is serious and authoritative, reflecting the power and dignity of his office.He wears the cardinal's choral habit. A short red silk cape covers his shoulders. The artist has paid particular attention to capturing the sheen and texture of the fabric, using loose brushstrokes to create reflections that give a sense of opulence. The characteristic red cap covers his head. Beneath the muceta, the sleeve of a white roquette peeks out, made of exquisitely detailed lace, demonstrating the high quality of his garment and his status. With her left hand, in which she wears a ring, she delicately holds a red biretta, another symbol of her ecclesiastical authority. A ring can be seen on the same hand.

The work shows a remarkable mastery of light and color, characteristic of late baroque. A light source coming from the left illuminates the face, shoulder and part of the chest of the cardinal, creating a strong contrast with the curtained background. This use of chiaroscuro models the figure and focuses attention on the face and insignia of the sitter. The treatment of the face is realistic, without idealizing the cardinal's features, showing his advanced age through the wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes.

Andrea Procaccini was an Italian Baroque painter, active in his native city and from 1720 in Spain as a painter of Philip V's chamber and aposentador of the palace of La Granja, where he died. Born in Rome into a wealthy family, he trained with Carlo Maratta, with whom he collaborated in the decoration of the Basilica of St. John Lateran by order of Pope Clement XI. There is one of his early works: the figure of the prophet Daniel in a series of prophets painted by his master. This commission brought him fame at the time, which led him to be in charge of the designs of the papal Tapestry Factory for some time. After this Italian period he decided to move to the new court of the Bourbons in Spain and was put under the mandate of Philip V where he became a chamber painter for fourteen years. During his stay in Spain he had under his patronage the Italian painters Astasi Giuseppe and Domenico Maria Sani. During his stay in Spain he was mainly occupied in the direction of the decorative works of the palace of La Granja and in the realization of cartoons for tapestries (series of the battle of Tunis and Don Quixote).