Portrait of a nobleman, probably Juan Francisco Cristobal Fernández de Híjar (c. 1550-1614), 4th Duke of Híjar, Duke of Aliaga and Lécera, Count of Belchite, full-length, in armour and embroidered trunk hose, holding a baton of command in his right hand, his plumed helmet and gauntlet resting on a draped table

Juan Pantoja del la Cruz trained in the workshop of Alonso Sánchez Coello, before being appointed the official portrait painter to the court and for the nobility of Madrid following Philip II’s accession to the throne in 1598. His quietly dignified portraits, meticulously observed, reveal a debt to his master and a concern with the Flemish tradition, while his treatment of physiognomy indicates a knowledge of Venetian portraiture. This imposing full-length portrait would appear to involve some studio participation.

The coat-of-arms belong to the House of Hijar, which suggests that the sitter in this portrait is likely to be Juan Francisco Cristobal Fernández de Híjar (c. 1550-1614), 4th Duke of Hijar, Duke of Aliaga and Lécera, Count of Belchite.

We are grateful to Philippe Palasi and Jaime Bugallal y Vela for identifying the coat-of-arms.