 There he made some paintings, now lost, for Charles III of Spain, who was then King of Naples.After a fire at the Alcázar of Madrid in 1753 destroyed scores of illuminated choir books, Francisco coaxed his 37-year-old son to return to Spain to help paint new miniatures.Though Meléndez eventually executed scores of still lifes for the royal household, he did not secure an official appointment to serve the king.