Francisco Folch de Cardona came from a noble family on his mother's side (his father's surname was actually Tiller) and trained at the recently founded Academy of San Carlos in Valencia. Around 1780 he moved to Murcia, and in 1784 succeeded founder Francisco Salzillo as Head of the School of Drawing of the Royal Economic Society there. He married in Murcia and his children were born there. In around 1789 he moved to Madrid under the protection of the family of the Count of Floridablanca and began to work at court.
In 1790 Charles IV appointed him court portrait artist, and he produced a portrait of the royal family that slightly predates the one painted by Goya. Both are now held by the Prado in Madrid.
His works range from portraits of fairly average quality through frescoes at one of the chapels of the church of Santa María de Gracia in Cartagena to highly baroque religious paintings such as the Immaculate Virgin that hangs in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid and a curious allegorical portrait of Floridablanca as the protector of Murcia receiving the plans for the channelling of the River Segura, which hangs in Murcia City Hall.
Francisco Folch de Cardona came from a noble family on his mother's side (his father's surname was actually Tiller) and trained at the recently founded Academy of San Carlos in Valencia. Around 1780 he moved to Murcia, and in 1784 succeeded founder Francisco Salzillo as Head of the School of Drawing of the Royal Economic Society there. He married in Murcia and his children were born there. In around 1789 he moved to Madrid under the protection of the family of the Count of Floridablanca and began to work at court.
In 1790 Charles IV appointed him court portrait artist, and he produced a portrait of the royal family that slightly predates the one painted by Goya. Both are now held by the Prado in Madrid.
His works range from portraits of fairly average quality through frescoes at one of the chapels of the church of Santa María de Gracia in Cartagena to highly baroque religious paintings such as the Immaculate Virgin that hangs in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid and a curious allegorical portrait of Floridablanca as the protector of Murcia receiving the plans for the channelling of the River Segura, which hangs in Murcia City Hall.