Charles III Eating before His Court

Painted by the Spanish Rococo master Luis Paret y Alcázar (1746-1799), ‘Charles III Dining in the Presence of His Court’ (Carlos III comiendo ante su corte) is an exquisite work that depicts the court etiquette of the Enlightenment era. The painting shows the grand couvert, a French royal tradition in which the royal family dined publicly before foreign ambassadors, courtiers, and high officials. This painting portrays a scene with King Charles III seated at a table in the middle of the room, surrounded by other individuals and items. His dogs run around close to his feet, and the king’s great love was for hunting. The room is surrounded by a crowd of people standing up, including court officials, members of the royal family, and servants. The participants dance along at the service, and serve food, wine, and keep order in court. Paret depicted the elegant interior of the newly constructed Madrid Royal Palace (Palacio Real). The walls are adorned with grand mythological tapestries from the Royal Tapestry Factory, a heavy gilt mirror, sculpted door frames, and a very elaborate ceiling fresco, reflecting not only Paret’s wonderful draughtsmanship, but his spatial perspective as well. Luis Paret y Alcázar was referred to as the “Spanish Watteau” due to his light and elegant figures and French-influenced Rococo style. Paret’s paintings, which are very similar to his contemporary Francisco de Goya in their use of strong, monumental brushwork, were more refined and cabinet-sized in scale, but rich in details. Charles III Dining in the Presence of His Court is one of the few extant pictorial accounts of royal ceremonial in 18th-century Spain. The vivid, colorful scenes of light bouncing off silk gowns, shiny wooden floors, and gilded moldings bring a stilted political ceremony to life and reveal itself to be a brilliant and colorful European Rococo painting.