Mariana de Pineda saying goodbye to the lay sisters of Santa María Egipciaca, in whose sanctuary she was imprisoned before going to the chapel
1862. Oil on canvas.On display elsewhere
The canvas depicts the heroine Mariana Pineda (Granada, 1804–Granada, 1831), who was accused of embroidering a liberal flag, and was later executed in Campos del Triunfo in the city of Granada on 26 May 1831.
In the Catalogue of the 1862 National Exhibition of Fine Arts the work is described as follows: ‘Good sisters, I cannot show my gratitude for your kindness for I have nothing left... When I see myself in the presence of God, I will pray unceasingly for you’. The Inventory of New Acquisitions of the Museum specifies: ‘Ms. Mariana Pineda bidding farewell to the lay sisters of Santa María Egipcíaca (Convent of Recogidas in Granada) in the reception hall, before going to the chapel. The judge, a notary and two bailiffs take charge of her as a prisoner. The lay sisters are portraits of those that existed at the time in the sanctuary. As for the room where the scene takes place, it is copied from the same one where the described event took place’.
Díez, José Luis (dir.), Pintura del Siglo XIX en el Museo del Prado: catálogo general, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2015, p.342
