Goya's Maja Paintings: Courtly Stratagems and Inquisition Scandal

Francisco Goya's twin paintings "Maja desnuda" and "Maja vestida" (circa 1800-1805) depict the same woman in identical poses, one nude and one clothed. Commissioned by Manuel Godoy, the powerful Prime Minister of Spain known as Príncipe de la Paz, the clothed version was designed as a cover to hide the nude from inquisitive visitors. The subject is believed to be the Duchess of Alba, Goya's lover and muse, a notoriously eccentric figure. The nude painting, which lacked mythological pretext like Cupid, was deemed obscene by the Spanish Inquisition, which forbade explicit female nudity in secular works. In 1815, Goya was summoned before the Inquisition tribunal but avoided condemnation through powerful intercession. Nevertheless, the scandal damaged his reputation and drove him away from the Spanish court. Both paintings have been housed at the Museo del Prado in Madrid since 1901, where they remain a major attraction.