Charles IV as Prince
by MENGS, Anton Raphael, Oil on canvas, 152 x 110 cm
After a forced separation brought about by religious wars, in the eighteenth century there again appears, in the person of Anton Raphael Megs, an artistic link between the Spanish monarchy and German art. For many years Mengs resided in Spain where he left a prominent impression. Many of his portraits are preserved in Spain (in the Prado, Madrid) - works from the time of Charles III, of Charles IV, of members of the court of Naples and of the Austrian Empire - and all evidence a refined technique and masterly transcription of faces and details.
This painting belongs to a series representing the portraits of the princes of Asturias.