Rafael Díaz de Benjumea studied at the Santa Isabel Fine Arts Academy in Seville and specialised in portraits. He worked for the Duke and Duchess of Montpensier in 1849 and submitted his works to the San Fernando Academy and national exhibitions in 1850, 1851, 1856 and 1864, although he was only awarded an honorary mention. He was appointed to the post of Court Painter and recorded court events in which he portrayed groups of the most important dignitaries.  In 1873, he sued the deposed Isabella II of Spain for failing to pay for The Presentation and Baptism of Prince Alfonso, which he had painted ten years earlier. He was also appointed as Commander of the Order of Isabella I of Castile and Knight of Carlos III and of the Holy Sepulchre.

• Julián Gállego Serrano
• María José Alonso

Manuel Cantero de San Vicente was a member of a bourgeois Basque merchant family that had settled in Madrid and he initially ran the family businesses. He joined the Partido Progresista [Progressive Party] and soon became one of its leaders. He was Mayor of Madrid between 1835 and 1836 and a member of the Spanish parliament and senator on several occasions. He also sat on the board of the Banco de San Fernando between 1846 and 1854.

Cantero de San Vicente was a three-time Minister of the Treasury, on all occasions in highly unstable governments. His first term of office was during the week from 24 November to 1 December 1842, when he was appointed by Salustiano Olózaga, whose government only lasted a few days more. The second time, when the 1854 Revolution broke out, he served in the cabinet of the Duke of Rivas, holding the post for barely two days, from 18 to 19 July. His third stint as Minister of the Treasury was during the government of General O’Donnell. This time, he held the post from July to September 1856, a little over two months. He resigned due to Queen Isabella II’s lack of support for his proposal to sell off church property as a remedy for the grave problems faced by the Treasury. Cantero de San Vicente supported the 1868 Revolution and was a member of the Higher Revolutionary Board that ran the country until General Serrano’s government was formed. His decisive backing of the 1868 uprising was rewarded with the post of Governor of the Banco de España, which he held until his death in December 1876.

Elena Serrano García