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| Miguel Jacinto Meléndez (1679–1734) | ||||||||||
| Meléndez was a Spanish portraitist and miniaturist, born in Oviedo, and the eldest in a family of artists serving the Spanish court in the 18th century. After spending several years in Italy, he settled in Madrid with his brother in 1717 and studied under José García Hidalgo, a former pupil of Juan Carreño de Miranda, whose Baroque style shaped his early work. Meléndez became principal court painter, producing numerous portraits of the Borbón royal family and at first stressing their Habsburg jaw, perhaps to highlight continuity with the previous dynasty. He was named honorary painter to the King in 1712, though he did not receive the official court salary until 1727. His portraits combined Baroque and Rococo elements, with clear echoes of Anthony van Dyck in their composition, and he also produced religious paintings that reflected the austere colour and simplicity of 17th century traditions. He died in Madrid. | ||||||||||
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Art