Spanish school; circa 1770. "Portrait of a gentleman. Oil on canvas. Re-coloured. It presents restorations and repainting. Measurements: 91 x 63 cm; 111,5 x 83,5 cm (frame). Male portrait, where the author presents us the presence of a portrayed man with a long bust, and slightly turned in three quarters, following the tradition of the portrait painting of the time, a feature that can also be appreciated in the neutral background, which was common in the mentioned pictorial genre. The painter depicts the scene with few elements, leaving the figure in the foreground. However, despite their scarcity, they are of great importance. Firstly, the coat of arms, which is barely visible, indicates his social rank, and secondly, the letter he holds in his right hand, which reads "With respect to which it is understood in your praiseworthy conduct, wishing you the years of the Phoenix. From an affectionate servant José Huelva to a friend. Put me at the feet of your lady Doña María Loriani. Señor Don Francisco Javier Cueto", shows us his identity and his friendships. This shows the sitter s interest in confirming his status and social relevance. This trait is accentuated by his clothing, with his ornate waistcoat and starched wig standing out. In addition, his serious gesture and fixed gaze on the viewer reveal a psychological portrait in which we can appreciate a regal and disdainful personality. As in the rest of Europe, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries portraiture became the leading genre par excellence in Spanish painting as a result of the new social structures that were established in the Western world during this century, embodying the ultimate expression of the transformation in the taste and mentality of the new clientele that emerged among the nobility and the wealthy gentry, who were to take the reins of history in this period. While official circles gave precedence to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collectors encouraged the profusion of genre paintings, portraits were in great demand for paintings intended for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its subjects, to be enjoyed in the intimacy of a studio, in the everyday warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house. On this occasion the sitter, a young man with long hair who devotes himself to reading as a sign of his intellectual status, is captured in an intimate moment. Dressed in rich brown velvet clothes, we can see the cuffs and collar of his shirt in luminous white. Decorating his attire is a medallion with a large gemstone inside. Lastly, alluding to baroque theatricality, a landscape in depth.