FRANCISCO REQUENA Y HERRERA (Algeria, 1743 - Madrid, 1824). "Self-portrait", "Teresa Fraga Cortés, wife of the painter", "Francisco Requena son". Set of 3 miniatures. Hand painted on bone. Measurements: 6 x 5 cm, 12 x 11 cm (frame), 7.5 x 6 cm, 16 x 14 cm (frame), 5 x 4.5 cm, 10 x 9 cm (oval frame). Set of hand-painted miniatures on bone: self-portrait painted in 1813 (at the age of 67), Teresa Fraga, second wife of Francisco Requena, married in 1810, and Portrait of Francisco Requena son, who died young. Francisco Requena y Herrera was a geographer, lieutenant general, scientist, frontier commissioner and counselor of the Indies. Son of the Andalusian colonel Francisco de Requena y Molina, in 1758 he entered the military academy of his native city as an infantry cadet. Gifted with good intelligence, he demonstrated great gifts in the mathematical area, always obtaining the qualification of outstanding. Such qualities did not go unnoticed in the plaza, and so the general commander appointed him as a volunteer engineer. In this work he drew the general plan of Oran, of its castles, and was in charge of the works of Rosalcazar and other fortifications. Two years later, Requena was promoted to second lieutenant with the title of engineer draughtsman, year in which he was sent to Malaga, from where he went on to tour and repair the towers and castles of the coast of Granada and Almeria, as well as to build that of San Juan de los Terreros. In 1764, when he was an engineer ensign, he was assigned to the Audiencia of Panama, where he worked for almost five years, rebuilding the fortifications of Panama, Chagres and Darien. The viceroy of Santa Fe, Mejía de la Cerda, ordered him in 1770 to go to the South Sea as cartographer, to draw up the plans of the city of Guayaquil and to fortify the port, sending reports to the viceroy of Nueva Granada in 1771 and 1772. By order of the viceroy, he also drew up the general map of the government of Guayaquil. The fact of working for six years in Guayaquil made him make with all kinds of details in 1774 the best "Historical and geographical description" of all those that exist on colonial Guayaquil, taking advantage of the measurements made by Bouguer, La Condamine, Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, and he endowed it with new municipal ordinances. Between 1775 and 1779, he intervened in the division of the bishopric of Quito, and later he was ordered to survey the maps of the district of the Audiencia of that city. In 1788, being an ordinary engineer, he asked for promotion to the rank of lieutenant. He arrived in the land of the Omaguas, a town where there was a military government appointed by the King. There he lived for nine months, and during this time he compiled notes on the state of the old Jesuit missions, which were to serve him to write, after five years, his important Description of Maynas. A short time later he received the governorship of Maynas in property and organized the IV Partida de Límites, placing his camp in the village of Ega, on the banks of the Tefe River, with the purpose of taking material possession of several towns and villages that, by virtue of the Treaty of San Ildefonso, corresponded to Spain. There he asked the Portuguese governor of Barcella and Tabatinga to hand over the lands on the northern bank of the Amazon. After a few months, the Portuguese replied, claiming, in exchange, the fortresses of San Carlos, San Felipe and San Agustín, which could lead to an armed conflict. However, Requena's determined and hard-working disposition made him decide to move to Portuguese territory, in order to press hard for the surrender of the fortress of Tabatinga. And in this city he was to live for ten years. Since 1786 he began to request his transfer to the governorship of Guayaquil or his return to Spain. Later, established in Seville, he was quickly promoted to colonel, chief engineer and brigadier of infantry in 1795. In 1796 he made a report of merits and services and wrote to the King alerting him about the advances of the Portuguese in the Marañon River. He was appointed brigadier and was commissioned to make a general map of the entire dividing line of the American dominions between Spain and Portugal. He accompanied the map with a history of the demarcations divided into three parts, which was aimed at definitively solving the boundary problem. His work was highly valued by the King, to the point of being appointed Minister of the Supreme Royal Council of the Indies in 1798. Also in those years, he wrote by Royal Order the military Reflections on troops, militias and fortifications of all America; and as a consequence of this work, the General Consultative Board of Defense of both Indies was established, being named member of it in 1802. This is a stage in Requena's life where he applies the experience acquired in America to the solution of multiple problems from Spain. On May 10, 1802 he was promoted to field marshal. From 1805 Requena directed the works of the canal from Reus to Salou, at the same time he was an advisor to the Council of the Indies and the Board of Generals. He was in Catalonia when the French invasion took place and the consequent uprising of the Spanish people against the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Superior Board of the principality of Catalonia entrusted him with the reconnaissance of mountains to carry out defense works and road cuts against the advance of the French. The same Junta Superior of Catalonia established a Supreme Council of War, of which Requena was named president. When the Government was installed again in Madrid, so was Requena, and in September 1814 he was again appointed member of the Junta de Defensa de ambas Indias, when in the same year he had already reached the military rank of lieutenant general. Requena died in Madrid at the age of eighty-one with a reputation as an excellent cartographer.
FRANCISCO REQUENA Y HERRERA (Algeria, 1743 - Madrid, 1824). Set of 5 watercolours on paper and 3 hand-painted miniatures on bone. Measurements: Watercolours: 21 x 32 cm, 24 x 35.5 cm (frame), Miniatures: 6 x 5 cm, 12 x 11 cm (frame), 7.5 x 6 cm, 16 x 14 cm (frame), 5 x 4.5 cm, 10 x 9 cm (oval frame). Set of five hand-numbered watercolours depicting: Number I: Part of the road from Tierra de Quito to the Napo River. In detail it shows how the Indians carried the cargo and also the expeditionaries themselves on their backs. Number V: View of the town and fortress of San Francisco Javier de Fabatinga from the Marañón River. Number X: Hunting monkeys by the Yapura River. Number XI: View of the waterfall over the Yapura River. Number XVIII: The family of Colonel Francisco Requena, Commander General of Maynas, descending the Pongos of the Marañón River in rafts. Set of hand-painted miniatures on bone: 1. Don Francisco Requena y Herrera. Painted in 1813, at the age of 67. Doña Teresa Fraga Cortés, second wife of Francisco Requena, married in 1810. Portrait of Francisco Requena, son, who died young. Francisco Requena y Herrera was a geographer, lieutenant general, scientist, frontier commissioner and councillor of the Indies. The son of the Andalusian colonel Francisco de Requena y Molina, in 1758 he entered the military academy of his native city as an infantry cadet. Gifted with good intelligence, he showed great gifts in mathematics, always obtaining an outstanding grade. Such qualities did not go unnoticed in the square, and so the commanding general appointed him a volunteer engineer. In this job, he drew up the general plan of Oran and its castles, and was in charge of the works at Rosalcazar and other fortifications. Two years later, Requena was promoted to second lieutenant with the title of engineer draughtsman, the year in which he was sent to Malaga, from where he went on to tour and repair the towers and castles on the coast of Granada and Almería, as well as to build the castle of San Juan de los Terreros. In 1764, when he was an engineer ensign, he was assigned to the Audiencia of Panama, where he worked for almost five years, rebuilding the fortifications of Panama, Chagres and Darién. In 1770 the viceroy of Santa Fe, Mejía de la Cerda, sent him to the South Sea as cartographer, to draw up plans of the city of Guayaquil and to fortify the port, sending reports to the viceroy of Nueva Granada in 1771 and 1772. By order of the viceroy, he also drew up the general map of the governorate of Guayaquil. The fact that he worked for six years in Guayaquil led him to produce in 1774 the best "Descripción histórica y geográfica" (Historical and Geographical Description) of all those that exist on colonial Guayaquil, taking advantage of the measurements made by Bouguer, La Condamine, Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, and he endowed it with new municipal ordinances. Between 1775 and 1779, he was involved in the division of the bishopric of Quito, and later he was ordered to draw up the maps of the district of the Audiencia of that city. In 1788, being an ordinary engineer, he asked for promotion to the rank of lieutenant. He arrived in the land of the Omaguas, a town where there was a military government appointed by the King. He lived there for nine months, and during this time he compiled notes on the state of the old Jesuit missions, which he used to write, after five years, his important Description of Maynas. Shortly afterwards, he received the governorship of Maynas as his own property and organised the IV Partida de Límites, setting up camp in the village of Ega, on the banks of the river Tefe, with the aim of taking material possession of several towns and villages which, by virtue of the Treaty of San Ildefonso, corresponded to Spain. There he asked the Portuguese governor of Barcella and Tabatinga to hand over the lands on the northern bank of the Amazon. After a few months, the Portuguese replied by claiming the fortresses of San Carlos, San Felipe and San Agustín in return, which could have led to armed conflict. However, Requena's determined and hard-working disposition led him to move to Portuguese territory in order to exert strong pressure for the surrender of the fortress of Tabatinga. He was to live in this city for ten years. In 1786, he began to request his transfer to the governorship of Guayaquil or his return to Spain. Later, settled in Seville, he was quickly promoted to colonel, chief engineer and brigadier of infantry in 1795. In 1796 he made a report on his merits and services and wrote to the King alerting him to the Portuguese advances on the Marañón River. He was appointed brigadier and was commissioned to make a general map of the entire dividing line of the American dominions between Spain and Portugal. He accompanied the map with a history of the demarcations divided into three parts, which was aimed at definitively resolving the boundary problem. His work was highly valued by the King, to the extent that he was appointed Minister of the Supreme Royal Council of the Indies in 1798. Also in those years, he wrote by Royal Order the Military Reflections on Troops, Militias and Fortifications of all America; and as a result of this work, the General Advisory Board for the Defence of both Indies was established, and he was appointed a member of it in 1802. This was a stage in Requena's life in which he applied the experience acquired in America to the solution of many problems in Spain. On 10 May 1802 he was promoted to field marshal. From 1805 Requena directed the works on the canal from Reus to Salou, while at the same time he was an advisor to the Council of the Indies and the Board of Generals. He was in Catalonia when the French invasion and the resulting uprising of the Spanish people against Napoleon Bonaparte's troops took place. The Junta Superior del Principality of Catalonia entrusted him with the reconnaissance of the mountains in order to carry out defence works and cut roads against the advance of the French. The same Junta Superior of Catalonia established a Supreme War Council, of which Requena was appointed president. When the Government was again installed in Madrid, so was Requena, and in September 1814 he was again appointed a member of the Junta de Defensa de ambas Indias (Defence Board of both Indies), when in the same year he had already attained the military rank of lieutenant general. Requena died in Madrid at the age of eighty-one with a reputation as an excellent cartographer.
Francisco Requena, Spanish painter of the 19th century, ''Curiosidad'' (curiosity), a small, humorous genre piece with two young women peeking through a crack in a wooden fence. Oil on wood, u. re. sign. ''F. Requena'', verso titled ''Curiosidad'', 19 x 12 cm, ger. 39 x 33 cm
