plate no. 8483

The Duke of Osuna and his Family

oil, canvasRomanticismportraitfiguresportraitfamilyclothinginteriorchildren

recreation guide

Francisco Goya’s 'The Duke of Osuna and his Family' (1788) represents a pivotal moment in his career, marking his transition into the circle of high Spanish nobility and his eventual appointment as court painter. While the specific visual details of this particular canvas are not described in the provided sources, the work belongs to a period where Goya was establishing his reputation through portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Osuna and other notable figures (Source 6). The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a medium that offers greater flexibility, richer color density, and the capacity for layered application compared to earlier techniques like egg tempera (Source 2). Goya’s style during this era is characterized by delicate tonalities and a move away from strict flattery toward a more complex, sometimes satirical, psychological realism, a trait that would define his later royal portraits (Source 6, Source 7).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Linseed oil or walnut oil	Primary binder for oil paints, providing flexibility and rich color density.	Cold-pressed linseed oil or walnut oil
Turpentine	Thinner for initial layers and cleaning brushes; allows for fluid application.	Odorless mineral spirits or pure gum turpentine
Canvas	Support surface, standard for oil painting of this period.	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Earth pigments (ochres, umbers)	Creating broken tones and underpainting; noted for fixedness and covering power.	Yellow ochre, burnt umber, raw sienna
White lead or chalk white	Highlights and mixing; historically significant for its opacity and drying properties.	Titanium white or Zinc white (for safety)
Resin varnish (pine resin or frankincense)	Protection and texture; can be boiled with oil to create a medium.	Dammar varnish or synthetic resin varnish

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While Goya’s specific ground recipe is not detailed in the sources, the general practice of the period involved preparing the canvas to accept oil layers which provide 'richer and denser color' and allow for 'layers' of paint (Source 2). The artist must ensure the surface is sound, as the knowledge of the medium's capacities is an 'essential requirement' (Source 1).

underdrawing

Goya’s preparatory methods for this specific work are not explicitly described in the sources. However, as a 'sound craftsman' (Source 1), he likely employed a careful underdrawing to establish proportions before applying paint. The sources suggest that copying works by masters like Van Dyck or Velazquez helps correct tendencies to be 'too much tied down to your outline' or 'over-model' (Source 1), implying that Goya’s own practice likely balanced structural accuracy with painterly freedom.

underpainting

An underpainting (imprimatura) using earth tones is recommended to establish tonal values. Source 5 notes that 'earths, ochres and marls' are sufficient for 'broken tones frequently wanted' and possess 'perfect fixedness' and 'covering well' qualities. This aligns with the general oil painting technique of building up layers (Source 2).

color palette

White

Chalk white or white lead

Highlights and mixing; historically used by ancient artists and retained for its opacity (Source 5).

Yellow Ochre

Natural ochre

General use in this artist's palette; provides fixed, covering tones (Source 5).

Red Ochre/Vermilion

Red ochre or cinnabar (native vermilion)

Flesh tones and accents; cinnabar was a known coloring substance in the period (Source 5).

Black

Ivory black or grapestone black

Shadows and contrast; various blacks were prepared from combustion of different bodies (Source 5).

Blue

Indigo or blue pulverised enamels

Complementary contrasts and depth; indigo was a known pigment (Source 5).

composition

The specific composition of 'The Duke of Osuna and his Family' is not described in the sources. However, Goya’s portraits of this period are noted for their 'disinclination to flatter' and a focus on the psychological reality of the subjects rather than idealized beauty (Source 6). The artist likely arranged the figures to convey the status and character of the Osuna family, consistent with his role as a painter to the nobility (Source 6).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the figures lightly on the prepared canvas, focusing on accurate proportions and gestures.
Tip — Avoid being 'too much tied down to your outline' (Source 1).
Preparatory drawing

underpainting

step 02
Apply a thin layer of earth tones (ochres/umbers) to establish the basic light and shadow structure.
Tip — Use pigments that 'cover well' and have 'fixedness' (Source 5).
Imprimatura

first pass

step 03
Begin applying color in layers, starting with broader masses of color before moving to details.
Tip — Oil painting allows for 'the use of layers' and a 'wider range from light to dark' (Source 2).
Layering

refining

step 04
Refine facial features and textures, paying attention to the 'delicate tonalities' characteristic of Goya’s style.
Tip — Be aware of 'simultaneous contrast of colours' where adjacent colors affect each other’s appearance (Source 4).
Glazing/Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Add final highlights and details, ensuring the paint retains its 'vitality' and does not become a mere 'deception' of nature.
Tip — Remember that art is an 'expression of feeling' and not just a substitute for nature (Source 3).
Final detailing

varnishing

step 06
Apply a varnish made from oil boiled with resin (e.g., pine resin) for protection and texture.
Tip — This provides 'protection and texture' (Source 2).
Varnishing

critical techniques

Layering

Oil painting’s advantage includes 'the use of layers' to build depth and richness (Source 2).

Simultaneous Contrast

The painter must perceive how 'contiguous colours' modify each other, avoiding inaccurate color perception due to eye fatigue (Source 4).

Craftsmanship

The artist must be a 'sound craftsman' with knowledge of the medium’s capacities to avoid being 'dumb' as a thinker (Source 1).

common pitfalls

→Being 'too much tied down to your outline' or 'inclined to over-model', which can result in a stiff, unnatural appearance (Source 1).
→Attempting to produce a 'meretricious attempt to deceive the eye' rather than expressing the 'vitality' of the medium and the artist’s feeling (Source 3).
→Ignoring the 'simultaneous contrast of colours', leading to inaccurate color mixing and perception (Source 4).
→Using pigments that are not 'substantial' or that may undergo chemical reactions, compromising the painting’s longevity (Source 5).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific visual details of 'The Duke of Osuna and his Family' (e.g., exact poses, clothing colors, background elements) are not provided in the sources.
·Goya’s specific underdrawing technique for this painting is not documented in the sources.
·The exact palette used for this specific portrait is not listed, only general pigments available in the period.
·The specific compositional layout of the family group is not described.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- ON COPYING — applied to Underdrawing and avoiding over-modeling
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of medium and vitality
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color perception and mixing
The Science of Painting↗
- CHAPTER V. COLOURING SUBSTANCES — applied to Pigment selection and properties

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 1 — applied to Materials, layering, and varnishing
Wikipedia bio — Francisco Goya↗
- part 5 — applied to Context of patronage and style
- part 3 — applied to Early style and tonalities