"The naked Maja"
(see detail) (see another
version) by Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) - Prado Museum, Madrid,
Spain.
NOTE: Maria del Pilar Teresa Cayetana, Duchess of Alba was, at
the time, among the most beautiful and brilliant women. The head and
face shown here may have been disfigured to avoid linking her with these portrayals.
Historians affirm that shortly after she became a young widow, the countess retired
to a palace in Rocia in Andalusia. Shortly after, Goya
was her guest and it was then that he produced the paintings for the countess.
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