JOSÉ NIN Y TUDÓ (El Vendrell, Tarragona, 1840... Lot 51

JOSÉ NIN Y TUDÓ (El Vendrell, Tarragona, 1840 - Madrid, 1908). "Arab couple". Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower right corner. Measurements: 52 x 29 cm.; 63 x 39 cm. (frame). José Nin y Tudó worked with versatile sensitivity in different genres and themes, occasionally delving into the orientalist genre, of which this painting is a good example. After beginning his training at the Lonja in Barcelona, José Nin y Tudó settled in Madrid thanks to a pension granted to him by the Diputación Provincial de Barcelona. There he entered the San Fernando School of Fine Arts as a disciple of Carlos Luis de Ribera. He was an official portrait painter, and also dealt with history painting, specialising in mortuary themes. He also had a great reputation as a decorator of palaces and stately homes, such as the Anglada palace and the house of the Marquis of Larios. He took part assiduously in the National Fine Arts Exhibitions, where he won a third medal in 1871 and two second medals in 1876 and 1878. His portraits include those of Generals Prim and Espartero, and those of Eduardo Rosales, Emilio Castelar and León Gambetta, among others. Works by Nin y Tudó are kept in the Prado Museum, the City Hall, the Congress of Deputies and the Ministry of Justice in Madrid, the Municipal and History Museums of Madrid, the Fine Arts Museums of La Rioja and Girona.