Portrait of Cardinal Zelada

Anton Raphael Mengs worked for princely clients in Dresden, Madrid, Naples, and Rome, and was an early promoter of the Neoclassical style in art and writing. Francesco Saverio Zelada, depicted here, was an enthusiast of the arts and sciences who eventually rose to the position of Secretary of State for the Vatican. This work was probably commissioned when Zelada was made a cardinal in 1773. The sitter proudly holds a biretta, the scarlet cap traditionally worn by cardinals. Meng’s masterful use of color and texture to enhance the status of his sitters is on full display here through the evocation of silk, lace, fur, and ruddy flesh.