This is a representation of the taking of Christ by Roman soldiers, a scene from the New Testament that marks the beginning of his Passion (Matthew 26, 45-46; Mark 14, 41-52; Luke 22, 45-54; John 18, 1-9). This is a preparatory sketch for the painting that adorns one of the altars at the Sacristy of Toledo Cathedral. Here, Goya´s manner of working is visible: rapid and energetic brushstrokes creat
This is a family portrait of María Luisa Josefa de Borbón (1782-1824) and her children, Carlos Luis and María Luisa Carlota de Borbón-Parma, painted during the time that María Luisa was regent of Etruria following the death of her husband, Louis I. The inclusion in this portrait of symbols such as the throne, canopy, red footstool, crown and column all identify t
This portrait of the family of King Carlos IV (1748-1819) was painted in Aranjuez and Madrid in the spring and summer of 1800, shortly after Goya was named First Chamber Painter. It clearly show´s the artist´s mastery at individualizing characters. The forerunners to this complex composition are Louis-Michel van Loo´s Portrait of Felipe V and his Family (P02283) and Velázquez´s Las Meninas
Here Esteve combines the influence of Velázquez’s use of indefinite spaces with Murillo’s grace and chromatic harmony and Goya’s loose, precise technique. Considered the artist’s finest portrait, this image is notable both for its expressivity and the artist’s ability to depict the transparency of the dress, a type of light garment recommended by late 18th-century doctors as appropriate wea
This work shows politician, poet, playwright and tutor to Queen Elizabeth II, Manuel José Quntana (Madrid, April 11, 1772- Madrid, March 11, 1857) on the day of his coronation in the Senate as Illustrious Poet (March 25, 1855).
Three bare-chested characters wearing dunce caps hold a fourth, nude character in the air while another lies on the floor, covering his ears, A sixth figure flees, his head covered with a white cloth. With his hand, he makes the gesture intended to protect him from the evil eye. At the right of the scene, a donkey stands out against the neutral background. This was one of six canvases Goya sold to
La joven dama, que aparenta alrededor de veinte años, está sentada junto a un velador, en el que se ven varios medallones y un libro, y sobre el que descansa el codo izquierdo. Luce un magnífico traje de raso gris y rosa, con manteleta y bocamangas de encaje. La blancura de su piel y la finura de su talle le infunden una fragilidad delicada y elegante. De rostro afilado y sereno, en el que resalta
A circle of ten Majos and Majas play blind man´s buff on the banks of what may be the Manzanares River. This work is the only sketch for the cartoon Goya painted for a series of playful and gay tapestries intended for the bedroom of the Infantas —the daughters of the future Carlos IV (1748-1819) and María Luisa de Parma (1751-1818)— at Madrid´s El Pardo Palace. Originally titled
This portrait shows the diplomat, collector and bibliophile Anthony Morris Storer (1746–1799) studying various items of interest that he donated upon his death to Eton College, where he had been educated. The sitter was a successful socialite who concentrated after his political career on his facet as a collector.
Preparatory sketch for a work possibly intended for the private chapel of the Infante Don Antonio Pascual in the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. The composition is very similar to the Last Supper in the Royal Palace of Madrid painted by Maella in 1794.
Two cats, their fur standing up and their backs arched, spit and face off on top of a brick wall. This is one of the cartoons for the Prince and Princess of Asturias´ dining room in El Pardo. As its narrow horizontal format shows, it was designed to hang over a door, a position favored by the perspective the painter gave it. Goya offers a perfect analysis of the cats´ postures, which he represents
Depicting the same subject, this canvas and its pair (P7937) were painted by Alabert in Valencia in 1799. They are among the numerous floral compositions of this type produced in the city in the late eighteenth century. Their delicate style, refinement and lightness bring to mind the floral motifs on the printed silks manufactured in Valencia at this period.
Painted in Florence, this canvas depicts Prince Luis I of Parma (1773-1803), who had died the previous year, and his wife, the Infanta María Luisa (1782-1824), daughter of Charles IV of Spain and María Luisa of Parma. Also included are their children, Carlo Ludovico (1799-1883), heir to the throne, and María Luisa Carlota (1802-1857), future wife of Maximilian, Prince of Saxon
Cardinal Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga (1777-1823) was the Countess of Chinchón’s brother and the son of the Infante Luis de Borbón and María Teresa de Vallabriga, whose morganatic marriage obliged them to live away from the court (María Teresa was from the minor nobility). It was only after Luis María’s appointment as archbishop of Seville in 1
An equestrian portrait of Queen Maria Luisa of Parma (1751-1818), the wife of King Carlos IV (1748-1819), wearing the uniform of a colonel of the Guardia de Corp. This painting was made as a pair to the equestrian portrait of the King, which is also at the Prado Museum (P00719). Goya admirably emphasizes the Queen´s strong personality. She mounts “Marcial,” a horse given her by Manuel Godoy (1767-
A drunken mason is carried off the building site by two of his companions, who cannot repress their smirks at the drunk´s situation: he lacks his trousers and his stockings have fallen down. This is a sketch for the tapestry cartoon, The Injured Mason (P00796), which is also in the Prado Museum collection. The comic interpretation of this work makes it unlikely that it was intended as a soci
Depicting the same subject, this canvas and its pair (P7936) were painted by Alabert in Valencia in 1799. They are among the numerous floral compositions of this type produced in the city in the late eighteenth century. Their delicate style, refinement and lightness bring to mind the floral motifs on the printed silks manufactured in Valencia at this period.
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos was one of the most illustrious representatives of the Spanish Enlightenment, a man of letters, writer and poet, as well as a statesman with advanced ideas. Born in Gijón in 1744, he received his Doctorate in Law from the University of Salamanca. He was interested in art and admired Goya from early on, having commissioned him to paint his portrait shortly after