On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P02783
- Author
- Goya y Lucientes, Francisco de (Spanish)
- Title
- Saint Isidore's Day at the Saint's Hermitage
- Chronology
- 1787-1788
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 41,8 cm x 43,8 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- LEGADO
- Procedence
- Legacy of Pedro Fernández Durán y Bernaldo de Ouirós, 1931
During the fiesta of Saint Isidore,
patron saint of Madrid, on 15 May,
the city dwellers visit his
hermitage to drink the water from a
miraculous spring that, according
to tradition, the saint caused to
flow. In the foreground, a group of
majas waits for their companions to
bring them water. In the
background, the crowd waits in line
for access to the spring, beneath
the imposing architectural mass of
the hermitage. They are observed by
two Guardias de Corps who are among
them, recognizable by their
uniforms.
A companion to St. Isidore's Meadow
(P750), this work is a preparatory
sketch for a cartoon for one of the
tapestries intended for the
Infantas' bedroom at the El Pardo
Palace. The cartoon was never
finished, but the sketch reveals
Goya's skill at giving the figures
a characteristic dynamism and an
elegant presence that is not
overshadowed by the majestic
chapel, despite their diminutive
size.
Location on the map
