Spanish school; late 19th century.

Spanish school; late 19th century. "Portrait of a lady. Oil on canvas. Relined It has restorations, slight scratches and repainting. It has signature and date, located in the lower left zone. Measurements: 56 x 42 cm. During the 19th century, as in the rest of Europe, the portrait became the genre that was acquiring more prominence due to the excellence of the Spanish painting, as a consequence of the new social structures that were implanted in the western world throughout this century, embodying the maximum expression of the transformation of the taste and mentality of the new clientele, emerged between the nobility and the high wealthy bourgeoisie, who would take the reins of the history in this period. While official circles gave precedence to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collectors encouraged the profusion of genre paintings, portraiture was in great demand for paintings intended for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its protagonists, to be enjoyed in the privacy of a studio, in the everyday warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.