The piece entered the BBVA Collection as a portrait of Luis Ferriz, due to the erroneous reading of the inscription, which was later studied by Xavier de Salas, who would make the correct identification of the figure.
During the recent restoration it was discovered that, as clearly stated in the lower right corner of the canvas, the work was made in 1785 (and not in 1777, as Salas had suggested). The sitter poses with his right hand on one of his own books, Tratado instructivo y práctico sobre el arte de la tintura published in 1778. In this regard, it is worth considering the possibility that he may have commissioned this portrait to Esteve with an ulterior promotional motive. The spine of the book that appears in the portrait is much thicker than that of the printed book, so it could be that it was the original manuscript, or else the artist may have altered its size so its title could be read.
The painting is indebted to the Valencian tradition cultivated by the artist in his early period. The warm vibrant reds are far removed from the delicate range of greys he used in his maturity, when one could perceive the influence of Goya.
It is a typical 18th century portrait of an enlightened gentleman, concerned with the progress of Spain and its industrial growth, and tied to the impulse given to the weaving and clothing industry in the second half of the eighteenth century, in which the Sociedades de Amigos del País, literally societies of friends of the country, played a particularly important role. The first of such to be founded was the Real Sociedad Vascongada, or Royal Basque Society, of which the sitter was a member.
Both the signature in the lower right corner −“Agustín Esteve. Fc. Valencia 1786”− and the inscriptions in the upper part of the canvas −“D. Luis Fernández. Familiar del Sto. Oficio. Visitador general de tintes. Pensionado por S. M. Socio en la R. Sociedad Bascongada. En la de Correspondientes de la de Bayadolid y en la de Merito de la de Madrid, Segobia, Soria y Toledo”− and in the spine of the book −“Arte de la Tintura”− provide valuable information.
Luis Fernández is represented with the insignia of the Holy Office pinned to an eyelet in his waistcoat, and leaning on a table, holding a book with a spine that reads Arte de la tintura. On the table are also an inkwell, a few skeins of silk, and a piece of furniture that holds a sample of colours.