Enrique Miralles Darmanin

ENRIQUE MIRALLES DARMANIN (Vall d’Uxó, Castellón, 1855 – died 1900).
“Soldier in the Tavern.”
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 24 x 20 cm; 46 x 41 cm (frame).
Enrique Miralles was the brother and disciple of the prominent genre painter José Miralles. He began his training at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts in Valencia, and upon completing his studies, he moved to Paris with his brother. They had been drawn to the French capital by Francisco Domingo, a prominent painter with whom Enrique completed his training and who introduced them to the art dealer Adolphe Goupil.
Realizing the commercial success of small-format paintings in Paris, Enrique Miralles turned to the “casacones” style, characterized by charming scenes set in the 17th and 18th centuries. At the same time, he continued to produce large-format works to exhibit at Parisian exhibitions and salons. His favorite subjects were women, genre painting, and the circus world. With these more personal and daring works, Miralles gained considerable prestige among critics, who highlighted his skill as a shrewd portrayer of French customs, manners, and character types. He exhibited regularly at the Watercolorists’ Society, the Petit Gallery, and the exhibitions of the Society of Spanish Artists in Paris. He also published circus-themed illustrations—which brought him the most popular acclaim—in the magazines *Nouveau Cirque* and *Paris Mutuel*. Today, Enrique Miralles’s work is represented in various private collections, both in Spain and abroad.