This ministerial decision ensures the canvases will remain in the Andalusian capital, the city for which they were originally conceived in the 18th century. The Junta de Andalucía, responsible for managing the museum, has already received official notification of this resolution.
Currently, both artworks are held in the custody of the Archivo General de Indias. One of the portraits is part of a temporary exhibition concluding on June 15, after which both pieces will be transferred to the Sevillian museum.
The origin of this decision dates back to 2017, when Altadis, a company inheriting from Tabacalera S.A., claimed ownership of the paintings. This claim initiated a judicial process that lasted for years until it was resolved last March by the Supreme Court's ruling, which recognized the public ownership of the works.
The portraits were commissioned from Goya in 1789 by workers of the Real Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla to celebrate the ascension to the throne of Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma. They were part of the festivities organized in the city, specifically within an ephemeral setup known as ‘Templo de la Fama’.
The integration of these artworks into the Museum of Fine Arts will enrich the institution's exhibition narrative, particularly concerning local history and monarchical celebrations. They will join other existing pieces, such as the paintings by Domingo Martínez, expanding the artistic and historical contextualization of the period and facilitating public access to these two key pieces of late 18th-century official portraiture.
