A Saturday Interlude

The identity of the sitter is uncertain. She is popularly identified as the Duchess of Alba, thought to be Goya’s mistress, or Pepita Tudó, mistress of the Spanish Prime Minister. Neither theory has been verified. The subject is shown without pretense to any allegorical, mythological, or religious meaning. By the standards of its time, the work was considered pornographic. The nudes of Titian and Velazquez were reference points in the creation of this painting, which in turn influenced the female nudes in the following century, especially Manet’s Olympia. Here Goya creates a truly modern icon of feminine beauty.