Rosario Weiss: Goya's Disciple and the Fight for Artistic Recognition
Speculation surrounds Rosario Weiss, who was born in 1814 to Leocadia Zorrilla and is thought to be the daughter of Francisco de Goya, although this remains unverified. Goya first encountered Leocadia in 1805, and by the time of Rosario’s birth, she had separated from Isidoro Weiss, while Goya was a widower. Growing up in Goya's home, she received artistic training from him. Following Goya's death in 1828, she encountered societal prejudice due to her presumed illegitimacy and was excluded from inheritance by Javier de Goya. At 29, she succumbed to cholera in Madrid. Despite these obstacles, she earned recognition at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, with notable works such as 'El genio de la libertad' (1831) and 'Virgen de la Contemplación' (1840) in various institutions.
Key facts
- Rosario Weiss was born in 1814 to Leocadia Zorrilla, with speculation that Goya was her biological father.
- Goya met Leocadia in 1805 at his son Javier's wedding.
- Rosario learned drawing, engraving, and lithography from Goya, first at the Quinta de Goya and later in Bordeaux.
- After Goya's death in 1828, Rosario was considered his direct heir and a promising artist.
- Javier de Goya worked to exclude Rosario and her mother from inheritance and patronage.
- Rosario died at age 29, likely from cholera, in Madrid.
- She was named academic of merit at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and served as drawing teacher to the infantas.
- Her 'Alegoría del silencio' won a silver medal from the Société Philomathique de Bordeaux in 1841 but is now lost.
- Sergio del Molino's novel 'La hija' fictionalizes her story.
Entities
Artists
- Rosario Weiss
- Francisco de Goya
- Leocadia Zorrilla
- Isidoro Weiss
- Javier de Goya
- Antoine Lacour
- Vicente López
- Sergio del Molino
Institutions
- Museo del Prado
- Museo Lázaro Galdiano
- Biblioteca Nacional
- Museo del Romanticismo
- Hispanic Society
- Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
- Biblioteca Municipal de Burdeos
- Société Philomathique de Bordeaux
- Meadows Museum
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- Bordeaux
- France
- New York
- United States
- Dallas
- Texas