Bartolomé Sureda y Miserol c. 1803 - 1804

Francisco Goya painted this portrait of Bartolomé Sureda y Miserol in Spain during the late 18th or early 19th century. It’s a striking image that reveals much about the changing social and political landscape of the time. The portrait displays a confident man, holding his hat, with his hand tucked nonchalantly into his coat. Notice that Sureda does not wear the elaborate garb of the aristocracy. Instead he is dressed in a simple, modern coat with a high collar, which gives the impression of a no-nonsense kind of person. Sureda was instrumental in the establishment of the Real Fábrica de Cerámica, an institution that brought modern methods of ceramic production to Spain. We can tell a lot about the social and institutional values that framed the production and reception of the work. To gain further insight into Goya’s world, scholars consult letters, newspaper archives, and the records of art academies. These help us understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production. Ultimately, the meaning of a work of art is contingent upon its social and institutional context.