La maja vestida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Clothed Maja |
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| Spanish: La maja vestida | |
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| Artist | Francisco Goya |
| Year | 1800–1805 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 97 cm × 190 cm (38 in × 75 in) |
| Location | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
La maja vestida (which means The Clothed Maja in English) is a famous oil painting. It was created by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya between 1800 and 1807. This painting shows a woman who is dressed, and it is a companion to another painting by Goya called La maja desnuda (The Naked Maja). That earlier painting was made between 1795 and 1800.
No one is completely sure who the woman in the painting is or who asked Goya to paint it. Some art experts think she might be María Cayetana de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba. Others believe she could be Pepita Tudó, who was connected to a powerful leader named Manuel Godoy.
These two paintings were not shown to the public when Goya was alive. So, we don't know if he meant for them to be displayed together as a pair. However, since 1901, both The Clothed Maja and The Naked Maja have been shown side-by-side. You can see them at the National Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.
Before they came to the Prado, the paintings were part of the collection at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. Later, a group called the Spanish Inquisition took them for a time. The paintings were first officially mentioned in a list from 1808. This was when King Ferdinand VII took over Godoy's belongings.
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The Mystery Behind the Paintings
The exact story of how these two paintings came to be is not fully known. Some people think that Manuel Godoy, who was a very important leader, asked Goya to paint them. If this is true, then the woman in the paintings might be Pepita Tudó, who was close to Godoy.
Who Was the Model?
Another idea comes from a writer named Lion Feuchtwanger. In his book about Goya, he suggested that Godoy bought the paintings after the Duchess of Alba passed away in 1802. The Duchess of Alba was a noblewoman, and there were rumors that she and Goya had a special friendship.
Goya's Connection to the Duchess
People believed Goya and the Duchess were close after he painted her portrait. Some clues come from letters Goya wrote. In one letter, he said, "Now I know how it feels to live." This might suggest his feelings for her.
Another clue is from a portrait of the Duchess painted in 1797. In that painting, she wears two rings. One ring had 'Goya' written on it, and the other had 'Alba'. Her hand points down to a hidden message at her feet that says, "Only Goya." These details make many people think she was the model for the Maja paintings.
See Also
In Spanish: La maja vestida para niños
- La maja desnuda (stamps of Spain)
- List of works by Francisco Goya
