Rafael Tegeo

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Rafael Tegeo Díaz (1798–1856) was a Spanish Neoclassical painter known mostly for portraits. He was born in Caravaca de la Cruz to a family of artisans and showed talent for drawing early. He studied in Murcia, where an Italian sculptor introduced him to Greek sculpture, and later joined the Royal Academy in Madrid, studying with José Aparicio and Fernando Brambila. In 1824 he won a stipend to study in Rome with Pietro Benvenuti and Vincenzo Camuccini, and he was influenced by Raphael and Guido Reni. He sent many works home and in 1828 was made an Academician for his painting Hercules and Antaeus. He initially painted mythological scenes and murals, but later became best known for portraits, including Francis, Duke of Cádiz, and Queen Isabel II, which earned him the title of court painter. He painted both the nobility and the rising bourgeoisie, and also created posthumous portraits of naval officers now in Madrid's Navy Museum. In 1839 he became Deputy Director of painting at the Academia and, in 1842, Honorary Director, resigning in 1846. His last major show was at the 1855 Exposition Universelle. The street where he was born was later renamed in his honor. In 2015 a new book about him was announced: Rafael Tegeo: Del tema clásico al retrato romántico by Martín Páez Burruezo.