Portrait of Aline Mason

The grandson of José de Madrazo y Agudo, court painter to Carlos IV, and son of the distinguished artist Federico Madrazo y Kuntz, Raimundo de Madrazo continued in his family's tradition, becoming one of the most sought after portraitists of his day. Madrazo spent the majority of his career in Paris, where he made a name for himself painting the city's beautiful and elegantly dressed young ladies, among them Aline Mason, the sitter for the present work. One of Madrazo's favorite models, Aline appears here at pause from her sewing in a quiet moment of reflection. A virtuoso of rendering the varied textures of fabrics and the delicacy of a woman's complexion, Madrazo depicts Aline in an exquisitely detailed dress of a vibrant pink hue that resonates in her rouged cheeks and rose lips.