Arcadópolis
The Duchess of Alba
Francisco de Goya, 1795
What you see
The Duchess of Alba stands full-length in a flat, open landscape. Very upright, she looks straight ahead and stretches out her right arm to point at the ground. At her feet, in the lower left corner, a small white dog peeks in. Behind her, a green plain with distant trees runs beneath a blue sky.
White dominates, punctuated by bursts of red: the bow in her hair, the coral necklace, the bow at her chest and the broad sash at her waist. A mass of long black curls frames her pale face. Look for the gold bracelets on her wrist and the embroidered border at the hem of her skirt.
About Francisco de Goya
Francisco de Goya was born in Fuendetodos, Aragon, and became court painter to the kings of Spain. He painted elegant portraits, cheerful scenes for tapestries and also the horrors of war. He kept experimenting until the end of his life, and many consider him the first modern painter.
More by Francisco de Goya
The Arcadópolis Museum has 443 public-domain works in 40 rooms, free to explore in 3D in your browser.