Madrid
Stunning full-length portrait of one of our shortest reigns. Amadeus of Savoy, son of Victor Emmanuel II, king of Piedmont-Sardinia, chosen, among other candidates, to come to reign in Spain, which at that time was a Parliamentary Monarchy, but paradoxically had no monarch since the exile of Queen Elizabeth II. The Government and the Court call Agrasot who is in Rome, with the important commission of portraying the recently restored to the Spanish throne. The man from Oriola, logically short of money, knowing that it is a very well-paid job, returned in 1871, first to his hometown and then to Madrid where Amadeo would pose for him, dressed in the institutional gala dress, decorations and sash of office included, placing himself in the Throne Room of the Eastern Palace. Behind him, you can see the small staircase, one of the two lions that make up the ensemble, and the Royal armchair with the coat of arms of the Spanish monarchy. Subtly and expressively, Agrasot knew how to reflect, like few others, those humble and full characters in all their spontaneity in their witticisms and fidelity of exterior settings, nor was he left behind when he had to portray high dignities of the State, as is the case. Everything about the monarch reflects poise, distinction and good figure, but also concern in the reflective gesture; Let us not forget that his entire reign was a chain of political problems until, fed up with impossibilities and bad moves at Court and in Parliament, he left the country. If Agrasot was capable of making authentic filigrees in his minimal tableautins, how much no less skill could he demonstrate in front of a painting of this formidable size. From the geometric perspective of the floor and the steps, passing through the entire body of the sitter with meticulousness down to the most almost imperceptible brushstroke, or the reflective face, they demonstrate his neoclassical preparation, but also his progress towards the most refined realism.
