Portrait of Cardinal Zelada
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
90 × 66 cm (35 7/16 × 26 in.)
Classification
oil on panel
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
30899
Art Historical Context
Anton Raphael Mengs' *Portrait of Cardinal Zelada (1773) captures the dignified likeness of Innocenzo Silvio Cardinal Zelada, an influential Italian churchman elevated to the College of Cardinals that same year. Painted in oil on panel—a medium evoking Renaissance traditions while allowing Mengs' signature luminous glazes and precise detailing—this 90 × 66 cm work exemplifies the artist's mastery during his Roman period. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Painting and Sculpture of Europe, it invites visitors to admire its intimate scale and refined execution. Mengs, a Bohe...
About the Artist
Anton Raphael Mengs
Comment on works: Portraits; Religious