In 1775, as the 11th Marquess of Villafranca, he married his kinswoman
Doña María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva y Álvarez de Toledo. Their marriage made them the wealthiest couple in the kingdom; they competed against the
Osuna family. The year after their marriage, she became the 13th Duchess of Alba after inheriting the title from her paternal grandfather,
Fernando de Silva, 12th Duke of Alba, thereby José Álvarez became
de jure uxoris Duke of Alba. María Teresa, as she was known in her family, was the legendary "Duchess of Alba" in Goya's paintings. Álvarez de Toledo y Gonzaga died on 9 June 1796, in
Seville. As the couple had no children, Álvarez de Toledo y Gonzaga was succeeded by his brother
Francisco de Borja. His wife held the title of Duchess of Alba until her death in 1802 and she was succeeded by a relative
Carlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart.
Art patronage In a famous
portrait by Goya, the duke is clad in elegant riding clothes. With an air of melancholy he looks up from the music book he is holding in his hands, including the "Four songs/with piano accompaniment/by Mr. Haydn". The duke commissioned several works from
Joseph Haydn and was a gifted musician himself. In his painting, Goya subtly combines the symbols of his model's passion for music and equestrian skills (
viola or
violin, riding
boots and riding hat) with the
neoclassical interior of the ducal residence. File:José Álvarez de Toledo, Duque de Alba.jpg|José Álvarez de Toledo around 1795 by Goya Image:La marquesa viuda de Villafranca por Francisco de Goya.jpg|María Antonia Gonzaga, his mother. Image:Anonymous portrait of Pedro de Alcántara Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, 14th Duke of Medina Sidonia (1724-1779).jpg|The 14th Duke of Medina Sidonia, his cousin and predecessor. Image:16th Duke of Medina Sidonia by Goya.jpg|
The 12th Marquess of Villafranca, his brother and successor. ==Ancestry==