'Gaspar Méndez de Haro y Guzmán', 7th marquis of Carpio, 4rd Duke of Olivares (
1629 -
november 16,
1687) was a
Spanish political figure and
art collector.
He was the son of don
Luis de Haro, marquis of Carpio, and Catharina Fernandez de Cordoba y Aragon.
His father was valido, prime minister and advisor, to King
Philip IV of Spain.
Gaspar had the ambition to follow in his father's footsteps, but was frustrated in his ambitions. He was then suspected to be behind a plan to kill the King by blowing up the
Buen Retiro Palace. As a punishment, he was sent to Portugal to fight the insurgents.
In 1677 he was rehabilitated and sent to Rome as embassador, until July 1682.
Then he became
viceroy of Naples until his death in 1687.
Gaspar de Haro was a reknown art collector.
During his stay in Rome his agent, Antonio Saurer negotiated in
Venice the acquisition of
important works of art.
When he died in 1687, he had a collection of an estimated 3000 paintings, 1200 in Spain and the rest in Naples.
In this collection were :
★ The
Rokeby Venus by
Diego Velázquez
★ The Magdalene by
Titian
★ several paintings of
Tintoretto
★ ''Christ Crowned with Thorns'' by
Antonello da Messina (now in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art)
He also engaged
Bernini to make a copy of his famous fontain on the
Piazza Navona,
to be placed in Naples.
He first married Antonia María de la Cerda, and after her death he married on June 11, 1671 Teresa Enriquez de Cabrera.
They had one daughter Catalina , 8th marquesa of Carpio , 5th duchess of Olivares, who later married the 10th
Duke of Alba.
Gaspar de Haro is buried in the pantheon of the Count-Dukes of San Lúcar and Olivares at Loeches near Madrid.
Source
★
Grandes de España
★
El Marqués del Carpio