Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento by Anton Raphael Mengs (Interpretation and Analysis)

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Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento
Source: MET Museum
At first glance, there’s nothing very spooky about Anton Raphael Mengs’ Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento. However, when you look a little more closely, it’s easy to see why this unfinished painting often gives viewers the creeps.

Mengs was one of the leading artists of the Neoclassical movement, a style that was inspired by Greek and Roman art and architecture. Neoclassical art tends to be staid and serious in subject with clean, sharp, stylistic percisison. Mengs was one of the first artists to adopt the style, and today he is well-known for his portraits and mythological scenes.

According to my research, Mengs’ Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento was most likely commissioned to celebrate the lady’s second marriage. The painting was left unfinished and then later altered for reasons that are unclear to art historians. The painting initially depicted the lady holding symbols of marriage: a ring, a key, and a dog (a symbol of faithfulness). However, at some point in the painting process, the lady’s face was painted over, making her features almost invisible. Why Mengs (or someone else) decided to obliterate her face is unclear, but it gives the painting an unsettling aura. The dog was either never added to the painting or later removed (the research I did was unclear).

It is the faceless lady, opulently dressed in silk and fur, that gives the painting its spooky appearance. There is something deeply disquieting about a faceless person. Freud’s theory of the uncanny explains the aversion or fear that humans experience when they encounter something that is familiar, yet somehow eerie. A familiar thing becoming unfamiliar produces deep anxiety and fear. This principle is in operation in Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento. The loss of the eyes is also a primary feature of the uncanny in Freud’s conceptualization, adding an extra layer of uncanniness to the piece.

Overall, I think the words that the MET Museum uses to describe the painting are the best way to describe it: haunting and enigmatic. Although Mengs almost certainly did not intend the painting to appear in its current state, he certainly succeeded in creating a masterpiece of creepiness.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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