Altamira hired Goya to paint several family portraits. This painting, from 1787–88, depicts Altimira's youngest son, Manuel, who was born in April 1784 and died at age eight on June 12, 1792. Goya also painted a portrait of another of Altamira's four sons, (1777–1837), and of his wife María Ignacia Álvarez de Toledo y Gonzaga, the condesa de Altamira (1757–1795) with their infant daughter, María Agustina (born 1787).
