The Infante Carlos María of Bourbon with Drum and Tambourine

Executed in oil on canvas, the painting displays Carnicero’s Neoclassical sensibility: clear contours, balanced composition, and restrained palette. The rendering of textures—from the sheen of the silk costume to the polished wood of the chair—demonstrates the artist’s skill across painting, printmaking, and theatrical design, evident in the precise yet lively depiction of the infant’s features.

Created in 1796, the portrait was likely commissioned for the Spanish court to document the infant heir. It remained within the Bourbon family’s collection before entering public holdings in the 20th century, where it now serves as a reference point for Carnicero’s oeuvre and for late‑18th‑century Spanish portraiture.