Martin Rico y Ortega was born on November 12, 1833 in Madrid during a time of prolonged civil strife in Spain. Conflict between reformers and authoritarian factions in the royal family and the government produced not only civil war in the 1830s and 40s, but also continuing economic uncertainty well into the last decades of the century. Perhaps because of this social upheaval, Rico y Ortega's career as a painter flourished outside of Spain, first in Paris and later in Venice. He was part of a generation of young artists who gravitated toward Paris at mid-century, pioneering the path that would subsequently be followed by Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali, among others.

The young Rico y Ortega received his earliest ...