Brioso, Jose or Francisco - portait of an officer

This fine miniature portrait of an unknown officer is signed "Brioso". It is either by Jose Brioso or Francisco Brioso.

Little is known of Jose Brioso who was a Spanish artist. [I have been kindly advised by a Spanish collector that José Brioso is one of the leading Spanish miniaturists of the first half of the nineteenth century. Little is known of his life. He was born in Cadiz (Andalusia) and worked in Madrid during the reign of Isabel II. In 2009 a Spanish auction house sold the portrait of a lady, signed and dated 1845.]

It does seem works by Brioso are rare as Schidlof does not mention him. Blattel refers to an artist F Brioso who was active 1835-1865 and is mentioned by Mariano Tomas in a 1953 book, "La Miniatura Retrato en Espana".

Under the name Jose Brioso Y Ruiz, he seems to be the author of Museo artístico y filosofía de la noble pintura: obra original - which was published in Spanish in Cadiz in 1866. Although the book is about painting, it does not seem to mention miniatures.

As can be seen, the quality is remarkable, and it seems surprising that he is not better known. In style the miniature is similar to those of the Italian artist Domenico Bossi.

One unresolved issue is the likely date of the portrait. From the clothing and hairstyle, the miniature appears to date from around 1820. If so, it seems too early to be by Jose Brioso. That raises three possibilities;
1 The signature has been added
2 Brioso copied an earlier miniature
3 There were father and son artists, both named Brioso.

The third alternative is possible, as the name Brioso seems connected to Cadiz for many years, including;
Jose Brioso Trujillo, born in Cadiz in 1724, son of Julian Brioso
José Brioso (civil, a native of Cadiz in the Archdiocese of Seville) married to Maria Josefa, who was an early settler in Uruguay, South America c1763, see Contribución española al poblamiento de Maldonado (siglo XVIII ...
Jose Brioso y Ruiz, of Cadiz, author of the above book in 1866
Jose Brioso del Ray, c1900, father of Jose Brioso del Val
Jose Brioso del Val, born in Cadiz 5 Jun 1931, son of Jose Brioso del Ray

Now that this miniature has emerged, perhaps more will be learned about the family. 1373

[Later - A kind Spanish collector has sent me the following information;
In relation to the portrait by Brioso, the author of the book "Museo Artístico y Filosofía de la Noble Pintura", written by José Brioso y Ruiz in 1866, on page 6, when referring to Spanish painters of the past, including Madrazo, Rivera, etc. Brioso mentions his father ( 1). In the footer below, it says: "Father of the author, an excellent miniaturist and assistant professor of drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts of Cadiz". His father and author of the miniature is Francisco Brioso, but do not know his middle name.]

A little research has revealed that The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Cadiz [La Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Cádiz Orígenes físicos - UCA.es Universidad de Cádiz ] was opened in 1789. It was a place where educational activities were developed to train goldsmiths and expert designers in drawing, so as to improve the quality of jewelry and luxury items, it was also the School of Silversmiths.Its first location was the magnificent Palace of Recaño in Sacramento and from 1842 was housed in a building, previously the convent of San Francisco in the Plaza de Mina, now the Museum of Cadiz.