Ignacio León Y Escosura (1834-1901) - Portrait Of A Friend

- Oil on panel. Exquisite quality, original frame. - (Oviedo, 1834-Toledo, 1901). Spanish realist painter who cultivated the Orientalist genre and themes. He was a commander of the orders of Charles III and Isabel the Catholic and artistic delegate of Spain at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. He trained at the School of Fine Arts in A Coruña, where he was a student of Juan Pérez Villaamil, then moved to Madrid to complete his studies at the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes with Federico de Madrazo. From 1859, he lived in Paris, where he attended the Imperial School, a disciple of M. Lazerges, and frequented the studios of Gérôme and Meissonier. He presented his paintings at national and international exhibitions. At the National Fine Arts Competition, he received an honorable mention in 1862 and 1864, a decoration in 1881 and 1892, and a second medal at the 1867 edition for The Story of the Bells; the same award was given to him at the Universal Exhibition in London in 1874. He also participated in the exhibitions of Berlin (1886), Paris (1889), Madrid (1892) and Munich (1897). His paintings were very successful on the English market. - Dimensions of the unframed image: 81 x 44 cm