Goya's Naked Maja and the Spanish Inquisition

Francisco Goya's 'The Naked Maja' (c. 1797–1800) and its companion 'The Clothed Maja' (1800–1805) were commissioned by Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy. The nude painting was kept in a private cabinet for six years until discovered by the Spanish Inquisition in 1808. Godoy and curator Don Francisco de Garivay were brought before a tribunal, and Goya faced prosecution for indecency. He escaped by claiming to emulate Titian and Velázquez, whose works were admired by the church and court. The model is believed to be Godoy's mistress Pepita Tudó, though some suggest Goya's own mistress or a composite. The painting is notable for being the first Western nude to depict pubic hair outside a prostitution context, and its model's direct gaze influenced Manet's Olympia.