Agustín Esteve y Marqués was born into a family of artists that included altarpiece designers, sculptors and engravers. He began training in his home town of Valencia under sculptor Ignacio Vergara. In 1768 he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos in Valencia, where he won the First Prize awarded monthly by the school. He also worked at the studio of painter José Vergara.
In 1770 he moved to court and joined the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, where he won the general First Prize in class three in 1772. He also frequented the studio of Franisco Bayeu, where he was influenced by Anton Raphael Mengs as can be seen in his works. Under the direction of Bayeu he copied several paintings from the royal collection, showing a preference for the work of Murillo from the outset. He continued to work as a copyist throughout his life, alternating this facet with the production of sketches for engravings and other commissions of a religious nature from the late 1770s onwards.
A few portraits from that period are attributed to him, but his first signed portraits date from the mid 1780s, when he began to stand out in the genre. Records show that he worked in the service of some of the most important families of the nobility, including those of the Duke of Osuna, the Duke of Montemar and the Count of Altamira.
In 1789 he began a productive collaboration with Francisco de Goya when the latter was appointed court painter. Esteve helped him paint his portraits of Charles IV and Marie Louise of Parma on the occasion of the king's proclamation. This collaboration continued at least until 1799, and was crucial for Esteve as it brought him a number of other commissions, including some that Goya had to decline due to ill health. Above all, it enabled him to develop his style of painting. He was always interested in drawing, and showed a painstaking love of detail and a clear, consistent use of light reminiscent of neo-classical painting, but he began to use looser brush-strokes, to leave his preparatory work visible and to acquire a more naturalistic sense of light. In that period he also became a sort of 'official copyist' of Goya, producing several replicas of portraits by the latter, either directly or through the mediation of Goya himself. It was also thanks to Goya that Esteve began to paint portraits in miniature.
His most productive period as a portrait artist ran from the mid 1790s through to the 1810s. At that time he was considered as second only to Goya as the most outstanding portrait artist at court. He painted the most important personages of Madrid society of the time, from kings through ministers, nobles, clerics, military officers to intellectuals and fellow artists. In general, the prevailing interest was to highlight elements that underlined the social standing and position of his sitters, but he depicted them all with dignity and elegance and some came back to him more than once.
On 14 June 1800 he was appointed court artist, and on 22 September that same year he was made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos in Valencia.
During the reign of Joseph I Bonaparte he painted several portaits of the king and of renowned pro-French personages. Although no proof could be provided that he had collaborated with the Bonaparte government, he was affected by the purge that followed the restoration of Ferdinand VII. However, he maintained his post as court painter and produced several portraits of the royal family, plus other works.
In 1815 his sight began to fail. Two years later he drew up a will in which he declared himself to be unmarried, and in 1819 he asked to be allowed to retire on grounds of ill health. He was awarded retirement on full pay for his work as a 'worthy teacher'. In July 1820 he returned to Valencia, where he died. The exact date of his death is not known.
The only monographic examination of his work to date is that written by Martín S. Soria in 1957. Further studies are now reassessing his merits and seeking to list his full catalogue, reattributing to him works traditionally attributed to Goya.
Agustín Esteve y Marqués was born into a family of artists that included altarpiece designers, sculptors and engravers. He began training in his home town of Valencia under sculptor Ignacio Vergara. In 1768 he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos in Valencia, where he won the First Prize awarded monthly by the school. He also worked at the studio of painter José Vergara.
In 1770 he moved to court and joined the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, where he won the general First Prize in class three in 1772. He also frequented the studio of Franisco Bayeu, where he was influenced by Anton Raphael Mengs as can be seen in his works. Under the direction of Bayeu he copied several paintings from the royal collection, showing a preference for the work of Murillo from the outset. He continued to work as a copyist throughout his life, alternating this facet with the production of sketches for engravings and other commissions of a religious nature from the late 1770s onwards.
A few portraits from that period are attributed to him, but his first signed portraits date from the mid 1780s, when he began to stand out in the genre. Records show that he worked in the service of some of the most important families of the nobility, including those of the Duke of Osuna, the Duke of Montemar and the Count of Altamira.
In 1789 he began a productive collaboration with Francisco de Goya when the latter was appointed court painter. Esteve helped him paint his portraits of Charles IV and Marie Louise of Parma on the occasion of the king's proclamation. This collaboration continued at least until 1799, and was crucial for Esteve as it brought him a number of other commissions, including some that Goya had to decline due to ill health. Above all, it enabled him to develop his style of painting. He was always interested in drawing, and showed a painstaking love of detail and a clear, consistent use of light reminiscent of neo-classical painting, but he began to use looser brush-strokes, to leave his preparatory work visible and to acquire a more naturalistic sense of light. In that period he also became a sort of 'official copyist' of Goya, producing several replicas of portraits by the latter, either directly or through the mediation of Goya himself. It was also thanks to Goya that Esteve began to paint portraits in miniature.
His most productive period as a portrait artist ran from the mid 1790s through to the 1810s. At that time he was considered as second only to Goya as the most outstanding portrait artist at court. He painted the most important personages of Madrid society of the time, from kings through ministers, nobles, clerics, military officers to intellectuals and fellow artists. In general, the prevailing interest was to highlight elements that underlined the social standing and position of his sitters, but he depicted them all with dignity and elegance and some came back to him more than once.
On 14 June 1800 he was appointed court artist, and on 22 September that same year he was made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos in Valencia.
During the reign of Joseph I Bonaparte he painted several portaits of the king and of renowned pro-French personages. Although no proof could be provided that he had collaborated with the Bonaparte government, he was affected by the purge that followed the restoration of Ferdinand VII. However, he maintained his post as court painter and produced several portraits of the royal family, plus other works.
In 1815 his sight began to fail. Two years later he drew up a will in which he declared himself to be unmarried, and in 1819 he asked to be allowed to retire on grounds of ill health. He was awarded retirement on full pay for his work as a 'worthy teacher'. In July 1820 he returned to Valencia, where he died. The exact date of his death is not known.
The only monographic examination of his work to date is that written by Martín S. Soria in 1957. Further studies are now reassessing his merits and seeking to list his full catalogue, reattributing to him works traditionally attributed to Goya.