Salvador Martínez Cubells was a consummate portrait painter. He trained under his father, Francisco Martínez Yago, a restorer at the Valencia Museum and the Academy of San Carlos. He won several awards at national exhibitions, including First Place Medals in 1878 and 1887 for Education of Prince Juan (which was also entered in the International Exhibition in Paris that same year) and Doña Inés de Castro. He won a Gold Medal at the Regional Exhibition in Valencia in 1867 for a portrait of his father, and another at the Munich International Exhibition in 1909. He produced paintings for the church of San Francisco el Grande in Madrid and was also an art collector in his own right. In 1870 he secured a post by public examination as chief restorer at the Prado, where he carried out interventions that can be seen as milestones in his career, e.g., on Murillo's painting of St Anthony in 1875. He was also responsible for the transfer of the Black Paintings from the walls of Goya’s house to canvases. He taught at the School of Arts and Crafts of Madrid and joined the Academy of San Fernando in 1891. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic and was made a Commander of the Order of Charles III.
Salvador Martínez Cubells was a consummate portrait painter. He trained under his father, Francisco Martínez Yago, a restorer at the Valencia Museum and the Academy of San Carlos. He won several awards at national exhibitions, including First Place Medals in 1878 and 1887 for Education of Prince Juan (which was also entered in the International Exhibition in Paris that same year) and Doña Inés de Castro. He won a Gold Medal at the Regional Exhibition in Valencia in 1867 for a portrait of his father, and another at the Munich International Exhibition in 1909. He produced paintings for the church of San Francisco el Grande in Madrid and was also an art collector in his own right. In 1870 he secured a post by public examination as chief restorer at the Prado, where he carried out interventions that can be seen as milestones in his career, e.g., on Murillo's painting of St Anthony in 1875. He was also responsible for the transfer of the Black Paintings from the walls of Goya’s house to canvases. He taught at the School of Arts and Crafts of Madrid and joined the Academy of San Fernando in 1891. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic and was made a Commander of the Order of Charles III.