(Reus 1838–1874 Rome) Portrait of the Artist at Work, signed and dated Fortuny 1867, inscribed “Il studio di pittore Mariano Fortuny” on a label on the stretcher, oil on canvas, 54 x 82 cm, framed, (W)

Mariano José Maria Bernardo Fortuny y Carbo Fortuny received his first artistic instruction from his grandfather and from the drawing master Domènec Soberano Mestres. He was fortunate to receive a grant which enabled him to continue his education at the Esc. d’Arts i d’Oficis “Llotja” in Barcelona and also became a pupil at the studio of Claudi Lorenzale Sugrañes. In 1857 he was awarded the province of Barcelona prize which enabled him to study at the Accademia Chigi in Rome in 1858 and to travel to North Africa to paint historical scenes of the Spanish war against the Moroccans. On his return he visited Madrid where he met the painter Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz, his son Raimundo and his daughter Cecilia de Madrazo y Garreta, who he would later marry. In 1861 he settled permanently in Rome from whence he travelled frequently, to North Africa, Paris, London and Naples. His studio housed a large collection of artifacts brought home from his travels, including fabrics, carpets, jewelry, ceramics and print graphics. His studio increasingly became a museum of antiquities and oriental objects, and this would have a key influence on the interests and education of his son, Mariano Fortuny y de Madrazo. Highly praised, almost mythologized during his lifetime, his early death was an international event. His works, to be found in significant numbers in numerous private European and North American collections, were highly valued for many years and often imitated. With the advent of modernism he began to slide into obscurity before his works received renewed recognition during the last quarter of the 20th century. (Compare Saur – Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, München 2004, Vol.42, p. 521f)