Don José de Cistué y Coll
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Description
Don José de Cistué y Coll (1723-1808) was an Aragonese judge who was born in Estadilla, in the province of Huesca. He served in a succession of posts as public prosecutor, criminal prosecutor and judge of the courts of Guatemala and Mexico, and in 1787 was appointed public prosecutor of the Council of the Indies, the governing body for Spain's colonies in the Americas, and the court of law formed by members of this council. Goya painted this portrait of him in 1788, shortly after occupying his last and most important post in the royal administration, when the painter had already gained renown as a portraitist. Cistué is dressed in the robes and collar of a judge; he wears the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Charles III on his chest and is holding in his hand a note or letter with his name. The soft modelling of his face is of excellent quality, as is that of his hands, painted with brushstrokes that are still rather blended, in the style of Mengs.