José Costa y Bonells (died l870), Called Pepito

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

ca. 1810 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

The dazzling whites of this child’s elaborate costume, tailored in imitation of a soldier’s uniform, set him apart from the additional military references guised as toys: a horse, drum, and rifle with fixed bayonet. This extraordinary portrait is most closely related to works that Goya painted shortly after 1810 and seems to allude to the Spanish War of Independence (1808–14). Known by the nickname Pepito, the sitter was the son of Rafael Costa de Quintana, doctor to King Ferdinand VII; his mother was the daughter of Jaime Bonells, doctor to the Alba family, important patrons of Goya’s.

Artist

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

Date

ca. 1810

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Countess Bismarck, 1961