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The Nude Maja
Francisco Goya · Rococo & Neoclassicism
- Artist
- Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828)
- Date
- c. 1797–1800
- Dimensions
- 97.3 x 190.6 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
The Nude Maja shows a young woman lying on a green velvet couch with her hands behind her head, looking directly and calmly at the viewer. Unlike the goddesses of earlier art, she is clearly a real, contemporary woman.
A closer look
Goya painted her body with smooth, pale tones against white pillows and sheets, and her direct gaze gives the picture an unsettling frankness. There is no mythological pretext, no Venus or nymph, which made the painting daring in Catholic Spain. It probably belonged to Manuel Godoy, the powerful prime minister, who kept it alongside a matching painting of the same woman fully dressed. The identity of the model remains unknown; the long-standing rumour that she was the Duchess of Alba is not supported by evidence.
More by Francisco Goya
In this gallery
The Third of May 1808
Saturn Devouring His Son
The Parasol
Charles IV of Spain and His Family
The Clothed Maja
The Dog