Ascent of the Balloon in the Presence of Charles IV and his Court
by CARNICERO Y MANCIO, Antonio, Oil on canvas, 78 x 102 cm
History records four events in 18th-century Spain when the ascent of a balloon occurred. This painting probably commemorates the event in 1783 which the artist personally witnessed in El Escorial. Another painting by Carnicero, now in the Prado, Madrid, represents the event in 1784, the ascent of Montgolfier’s balloon in Aranjuez.