The false portraits in the Teatro selecto: the visual canonization of baroque playwrights by the 19th century nationalist reception in Spain

Abstract

In the second and in the third volumes of the collection Teatro selecto, antiguo y mod-erno, nacional y extranjero (1867, edited by Francisco de Orellana) seven illustrations of baroque playwrights were found, all of them drawn by Tomás Padró. While the features of Solís and Moreto appeared faithful to the contemporary portraits of the authors, those of Ruiz de Alarcón, Rojas Zorrilla, Pérez de Montalbán, Zamora and Cañizares were traced by the same suspicious patron. This work aims to study the canonization and visual idealization of the Spanish baroque writer in the 19th century, both as a product of the conservative nationalist ideology of the period and as a reflection of the 19th century reception of the Spanish baroque literature.

https://doi.org/10.17398/2660-7301.41.27