In 1776, the painter Pedro Antonio de Rada died in Pamplona. Born around 1706 in Vitoria or Calahorra, his presence in Pamplona is documented for the first time in 1736, when he became a painter at the age of twenty. position to paint four large canvases for the Chapel of San Fermín. From then on, Pedro Antonio made the capital of the Navarrese kingdom his homeland, where he would become the leading painter of the central decades of the Age of Enlightenment. As Morales Solchaga points out, his death " put an end to Baroque painting produced in the Pamplona center ."

Although of unknown origin, there is no doubt that Pedro Antonio was born into a family of painters, in whose bosom he would learn the official document . Gutiérrez Pastor identified in his thesis doctoral degree to the painter Eugenio Rada and his son, Domingo de Rada, born in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, as brother and nephew of Pedro Antonio. Some members of this lineage, who would perform the official document of painters until well into the 19th century, achieved a certain prestige, such as the aforementioned Domingo de Rada, who came to work in Bilbao under the supervision of Luis Paret. Likewise, other members of this family also left their mark in some towns in Navarre, but it was Pedro Antonio who, upon settling in Pamplona, became the first painter in the Pamplona workshop. After his death, his brother Manuel became position of the work that Pedro Antonio had done.

The establishment of Pedro Antonio de Rada in Pamplona undoubtedly contributed to the protection of Gaspar de Miranda y Argáiz, who between 1742 and 1767 occupied the position of Bishop of Pamplona. And if there was one thing that made this prelate stand out, it was the protection and friendship with which he distinguished some artists, such as the Calahorra native Diego de Camporredondo, of whom he went so far as to say in 1759 that there was "no one of greater skill , security and satisfaction ." Consequently, it is not surprising that Pedro Antonio participated in some of Miranda's private projects, such as the gilding of the altarpiece of San Francisco Javier (1742) that the bishop erected in his family chapel in the parish of Santiago de Calahorra with designs that Camporredondo sent from Toledo.

Established in Pamplona, Pedro Antonio de Rada established himself as one of the preferred painters for the capital's elite and institutions. He worked for the capital's leading figures, such as the aforementioned Bishop Miranda y Argáiz and the prior of Pamplona Cathedral, Fermín de Lubián, who was linked to the kingdom's most important families. The Provincial Council of the Kingdom, Pamplona City Council, and the cathedral chapter were other regular clients, along with parishes and convents.

One of the main reasons for the popularity that Pedro Antonio de Rada enjoyed during his lifetime was his versatility, or rather, his ability to combine different skills in order to satisfy the artistic needs of his clients. This painter could respond quite adequately to any challenge that was raised and in which the use of the brush came into play. Consequently, in Pedro Antonio there are quotation the easel painter, the gilder/polychromist and the decorator.

Pedro Antonio de Rada's career as a gilder and polychromist is perhaps the best known, especially with regard to the gilding and polychromy of the numerous altarpieces and sculptures that adorned many Navarrese temples during those decades of the 18th century. Thus, in 1749 he made position of the gilding and polychromy of the altarpiece of the chapel of the Episcopal Palace in Pamplona, which had just been completed by José Pérez de Eulate, and in 1761 he signed the contract for the gilding of the main altarpiece in Lodosa, which had been erected by Diego de Camporredondo. Likewise, in 1772 he gilded and polychromed the image of San Saturnino and his float, made by the sculptor Manuel Martín de Ontañón and the carpenter Matías de Andrés, which to this day continue to be carried in procession through the streets of Pamplona every November 29.

But in addition to altarpieces, Pedro Antonio was capable of decorating with paint any piece of furniture that could be decorated. In our thesis In his doctoral studies we were able to verify Rada's participation in the decoration of pieces related to the ceremonial and representation of the Pamplona City Council. Thus, in 1736 and 1755 he painted the cloths of the town hall's clarions, as well as the shields to decorate several canopies, such as the one made in 1738 for the entrance of Queen Mariana of Neuburg or the one made in 1771 for the Corpus Christi procession. The flagpole of the banner with which the Navarrese councilors proclaimed Charles III in 1759 also bore the colors of Pedro Antonio de Rada. In 1779, we find him painting a symbolic element as important as the city's flag.

Closely related to his work as a gilder and polychromist are his works as a decorator. In this sense, Rada was present in almost all of the major projects carried out in Pamplona during his time. His work is notable partnership with the decorator Silvestre de Soria, who went on to work on the decoration of the new Royal Palace in Madrid. They both worked closely at Pamplona Cathedral on projects such as the redecoration of the sacristy (1760–1766), conference room Chapter House (1765) and Library (1767), where Rada polychromed and gilded the rich furniture designed by Soria. In 1767 he worked on the polychromy and gilding of the Rococo decoration that this author created for the sacristy of Viana. The Provincial Council of the Kingdom also used his services, as in 1745 when he participated in the redecoration of the conference room of the Provincial Council. Thanks to Professor Fernández Gracia, we know that Pedro Antonio de Rada also decorated luxurious pieces, such as carriages, taking charge of the carriage of his protector, Miranda y Argáiz.

As far as ephemeral architectural pieces are concerned, Rada painted several Holy Week monuments, such as the one in the cathedral in 1741 and 1745 or the one in Miranda de Arga in 1768. According to the Chronicle of the Convent of Capuchins Outside the Walls of Pamplona, he was also commissioned to carry out several works on the occasion of the canonisations of Saint Dominic Catherine of Riccis (1747) and of Saint Seraphim of Montegranario and Blessed Bernardo Corleone (1768), both Capuchins.

However, if Rada stood out for anything, it was for easel painting, in which he cultivated various pictorial genres, such as portraiture and historical painting.

As for portraiture, Rada received commissions from various personalities and institutions. In this sense, he painted numerous royal portraits for corporations such as the Estella City Council, for which he created the portraits of Barbara of Braganza (1746), Charles III and Maria Amalia of Saxony (1759), the Provincial Council of the Kingdom, for which he painted the portraits of Ferdinand VI and Barbara of Braganza in 1760, and the Pamplona City Council, for whose royal proclamation ceremony in 1759 he created the portrait of Charles III. He also painted personalities of the kingdom, such as Bishop Miranda y Argáiz, of whom he made several portraits, one of them for the parish of San Andrés de Calahorra, and the prior of the Pamplona cathedral, Fermín de Lubián, which is preserved in the Sangüesa City Council.

For his part, it is historical painting, and specifically religious painting, that makes up the majority of Pedro Antonio's output. In addition to the canvases made in 1736 for the chapel of San Fermín, numerous works can be cited, such as the paintings of San Emeterio, San Celedonio, San Saturnino, San Francisco de Sales and San Ildefonso that he made in 1748-1749 for the chapel of the Episcopal Palace of Pamplona or the large canvas of Saint Christopher that he painted for the cathedral of Pamplona in 1774.

Pedro Antonio de Rada was capable of painting not only isolated images, but entire cycles, sometimes conceived as part of larger decorative projects. In 1762, in the context of the redecoration of the sacristy of Pamplona Cathedral, he painted the scenes of Creation, Original Sin, presentation of the Virgin, the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Shepherds, the Flight into Egypt, Jesus with the Doctors, the Dormition of the Virgin, the Assumption, the Arrest, the Flagellation, the Carrying of the Cross, the Pietà, the Resurrection, and the Ascension. Shortly after, around 1765, he produced a series of the life of Saint Joseph for the Discalced Carmelites of Pamplona, studied by Fernández Gracia, in which he demonstrated his handling of prints from different origins and chronologies. He also worked on the canvases that decorate the chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows in the Discalced Carmelites of Tarazona.

In these works Pedro Antonio de Rada shows great knowledge of European printmaking and engraving from the 16th century, from which he often takes his models. Although of modest quality, the artist does not make literal copies, but is capable of composing a scene by taking references from here and there and then introducing small variations. In this sense, the presence of small still lifes in some of the paintings in the cathedral sacristy is noteworthy.

In short, Pedro Antonio de Rada was a painter with regional projection, both decisive and, as we said, capable of satisfying the tastes of his clients with grandiloquent painting and vivid, brilliant colors.