3-035-434 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of José Nicolás de Azara, Marquis of Nibbiano, after 1774. Additional Info: The portrait depicts the Spanish diplomat José Nicolás de Azara (1730-1804), Marquis of Nibbiano, in three-quarter profile, seated at a wooden table and returning the viewer's gaze. The sitter's right arm rests on the table, and he holds a book in his right hand, his index finger inserted to mark the place. His left hand, partially cropped by the frame in the lower right corner, appears to be resting in his lap. The sitter, a friend of Mengs, was born to a wealthy Aragonese family and played an important diplomatic role in the court of King Charles Ill of Spain.