Diego de Covarrubias
by GRECO, El, Oil on canvas, 67 x 55 cm
Diego de Covarrubias y Leiva (1512-1577) was the elder brother of Antonio de Covarrubias, a close friend of El Greco and reputedly one of the most learned men of his time. Diego was a distinguished churchman, canon lawyer and administrator. El Greco never met him, and despite its lively character the painting was based on a portrait by Alonso S�nchez Coello showing Covarrubias when sixty-two years old.
The painting has a pendant, also in the Museo de El Greco, showing Diego’s younger brother Antonio - an autograph copy of El Greco’s painting in the Louvre.