Luis de la Cruz y Ríos

The son of painter Manuel Antonio de la Cruz, he received his first lessons from him and continued his training with Juan de Miranda. At the end of the 18th century he worked in Gran Canaria, where he copied cathedral paintings and made portraits. This early stay brought him into contact with the artistic heritage of another island and with sculptor José Luján Pérez.

Portraiture and miniature painting were at the core of his output. The meticulous technique of his ivory pieces addressed both physiognomy and the rendering of jewellery and textiles, allowing him to serve civilian, ecclesiastical and aristocratic patrons. He also made religious paintings for the parishes of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia in Puerto de la Cruz and Arrecife.

His activity was not exclusively artistic. He joined the Canarian militias in 1800, served as mayor of Puerto de la Cruz during the Peninsular War and taught drawing at the school linked to La Laguna's Consulado del Mar. After settling in Madrid in 1815, he reached Ferdinand VII's court and produced royal-family portraits now held, among other institutions, by the Prado Museum.