Amadeo of Savoy was born in Turin on 30 May 1845. He was the son of Victor Emmanuel II and Maria Adelaide of Austria. In 1867 he married Maria Victoria dal Pozzo della Cisterna, a member of the Turin aristocracy, with whom he had a son (the Duke of Apulia) in 1869. The provisional government set up when Isabella II was dethroned offered him the Spanish crown, and he arrived in Madrid early in January 1871 to reign as Amadeo I. His first action on taking up his new kingdom was to visit the body of the recently assassinated General Prim. This visit was depicted in a painting by Antonio Gisbert which was widely reproduced at the time in the form of prints.

The Banco de España commissioned Carlos Luis de Ribera (1815-1891) to paint a portrait of him. The invoice for 20,000 reales de vellón indicates that Ribera had completed the portrait by 30 June of that same year. The company Fábrica de Espejos A. Sion e Hijo was paid 800 reales for the gilded frame on 5 July. The board of the Bank approved this total expenditure of 2080 escudos (equivalent to 20,800 reales) in its meeting on 10 July. The picture was certainly worth it: it is a superb, full-length portrait that highlights the natural elegance and gallantry of the 26-year-old king. He is shown in his full-dress riding uniform standing before the throne of San Fernando, which is sketched out in reddish hues. The painting shows the need for Spanish institutions to come up with images that could turn a foreign king who enjoyed little popularity among the population into a familiar, recognisable figure. In spite of his firm but thoughtful appearance and of his attempts to gain the acceptance of his adopted people, Amadeo I was forced to abdicate just two years after taking up the throne. Following the death of his first wife, he remarried Princess Letizia Bonaparte, the daughter of Jérôme-Napoleon. He died in Turin in 1890.

• Julián Gállego Serrano
• María José Alonso
• Carlos Martín