Mariano Alonso Perez was a genre and figurative painter born in Zaragoza, Spain in 1857. He studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Zaragoza and then at the Madrid School of Art. He travelled to Rome and attended the Chigi and Cauva Academy before moving to Paris in 1889. His son Alonso Perez (1881-1914) was also an artist.

Perez developed a love for the costumed subject with his paintings often containing pretty women and handsome men depicted in 18th century dress. Many of his works were done on a small, more intimate scale, creating a need for careful examination by the viewer. Perez exhibited in Paris and New York finding a ready market for his paintings there. His popularity continues with collectors around the world to this day.