Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 9 works by Antoni Caba in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Antoni Caba's most famous painting is The Heroine of Peralada (1864), whose original hangs in the Museo del Prado, Madrid. Portrait of the Painter Ramon Padró (1867) and Portrait of the painter Joaquim Vayreda (1870) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 9 works by Antoni Caba in our catalog, the gallery presents the 9 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
The composition centers on a physical struggle between a female figure and a mounted knight. A diagonal line directs the eye from the woman's raised sword, cutting through the air, down toward the horse and the knight's defensive posture. The woman's hair and fabric appear to flow with the momentum of her movement. The knight is positioned on a horse, creating a sense of urgent, kinetic energy. Light enters from…
The 2 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Antoni Caba | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya |
Barcelona | 7 | Portrait of the Painter Ramon Padró, Portrait of the painter Joaquim Vayreda, Self-portrait |
 Museo del Prado |
Madrid | 1 | The Heroine of Peralada |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The composition centers on a physical struggle between a female figure and a mounted knight. A diagonal line directs the eye from the woman's raised sword, cutting through the air, down toward the horse and the knight's defensive posture. The woman's hair and fabric appear to flow with the momentum of her movement. The knight is positioned on a horse, creating a sense of urgent, kinetic energy. Light enters from…
The Heroine of Peralada (1864), Museo del Prado, Madrid. Portrait of the Painter Ramon Padró (1867) and Portrait of the painter Joaquim Vayreda (1870) come next.
26 years old: The Heroine of Peralada dates from 1864, and Antoni Caba was born in 1838.
Our catalog holds 9 works by Antoni Caba, dated from 1864 to 1891.
Mostly in Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (Barcelona) and Museo del Prado (Madrid). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1860s: 2 of the 9 works on this page were made then, The Heroine of Peralada among them.
On this page, the earliest is The Heroine of Peralada (1864) and the latest Portrait of Claudi Lorenzale (1891).
Portrait of the Painter Ramon Padró, Portrait of the painter Joaquim Vayreda and Self-portrait: the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona holds 7 of the works on this page.
Antoni Caba lived his life within the light and dark of Barcelona. His early years in the 1850s were spent at the Escola de la Llotja, sitting before the lessons of Pau Milà i Fontanals and Claudi Lorenzale. He later moved to Madrid to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, where Federico de Madrazo guided his hand. A period in Paris brought him under the direction of Charles Gleyre at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, a time that helped shape how he handled the weight of oil on canvas.
His work often rests in the quiet space between light and deep shadow. He used chiaroscuro to pull figures out from dark backgrounds, a technique that earned him the nickname fotográficos among those who saw his portraits of the Catalan middle class. His brush moved through different phases, moving from flamigere and neo-greek styles toward more anecdotal, hard, and photographic approaches. In these works, one sees the careful placement of color and composition.
Caba did not only paint; he taught the next generation how to see. From 1874, he held the position of Professor of Color and Composition at the Escola de la Llotja. Later, from 1887 to 1901, he served as the Director of the school. His presence in the halls of the academy was marked by a commitment to the realistic style.
His achievements were recognized through specific honors and public displays:
The faces he captured remain in collections like the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and the Museo del Prado. He painted many individuals, from the painter Joaquim Vayreda to Queen Maria Cristina of Spain and her son Alfonso XIII. Some of his portraits, such as those of Lluïsa Dulce i Tresserra or Ramon Padró, show a focus on the sitter's presence through strong contrasts.
Beyond the human face, he worked on larger compositions like The Triumph of Day over Night Preceded by Dawn. He also left behind smaller studies, such as a study of a hand or his own self-portraits. These pieces show a man deeply involved in the technicalities of his craft, from the way light hits a straw hat to the precise rendering of a blue bow.
