Benito Soriano Murillo

Palma 1827 - Madrid 1891

By: Julián Gállego Serrano, María José Alonso

A vice-director of the Prado Museum and a titular member of the Academy of San Fernando, Soriano began his training in 1847 in Rome under the patronage of the Duke of San Lorenzo. He studied there at the Academy of San Luca before going on to continue his apprenticeship with Luis de Madrazo at Dumas’s studio in Paris. From there he sent his works to the exhibitions of the Academy of San Fernando, the 1865 Universal Exposition in Paris, and the Spanish National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, where he was awarded various distinctions, including the Second Medal in 1856. He also won the Silver Medal at the Bayonne Exhibition of 1864. He was selected in public competition to teach Figure Drawing at the San Fernando School, and also held a professorship in Pictorial Anatomy. He participated in the restoration work at San Jerónimo el Real and made drawings for the 1862 edition of Don Quixote, published in Barcelona. He painted the chronological series of the kings of Spain for the Prado Museum. Among other decorations, he was a knight of the Order of Carlos III.