Charles IV in Red
1789 Museo del Prado
About this artwork
This formal portrait depicts King Charles IV of Spain wearing a vibrant red coat decorated with the insignia of the Order of the Holy Spirit, the Order of Saint Januarius, and the Order of the Golden Fleece. It is one of several portraits Goya painted of the monarch and his family shortly after his ascension to the throne.
Did you know?
Goya was appointed the official court painter to Charles IV just months after the King's coronation in 1789. This portrait captures the monarch at the height of his royal authority, though later portraits by Goya would become famously critical and unflattering, reflecting the artist's evolving disillusionment with the Spanish monarchy.
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Charles IV in Red
Francisco Goya, 1789
