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Portrait of the Marchioness of Santa Cruz

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Painting by Francisco de Goya
Portrait of the Marchioness of Santa Cruz
Spanish: Retrato de la Marquesa de Santa Cruz
ArtistFrancisco Goya
Year1805
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions125 cm × 208 cm (49 in × 82 in)
LocationMuseo del Prado, Madrid

The Portrait of the Marchioness of Santa Cruz or Portrait of the Marquise of Santa Cruz is an 1805 portrait by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya, a family friend of the subject. It has in the Museo del Prado, in Madrid, since 1986, when it was bought from its previous owner for over US$6 million.

Description

It shows Joaquina Téllez-Girón, Marquise of Santa Cruz clad in a very light white dress, lying sideways on a red divan. Her head is decorated with yellow flowers; her left hand is balancing a lyre-guitar. Her gaze does not directly fix on the viewer but seems to look distant. Her body does not seem to sit in a natural position, but seemingly floats on the red divan and the pillows.

The theme seems almost allegorical, a reference to the ancient Greek theatre. The composition of the work is similar to Antonio Canova's sculpture of Paolina Borghese as Venus Victrix. The portrait is also similar to Diego Velázquez and, to an extent, to Titian's depictions of Venus. The flowers on her head are a reference to Bacchus, while the lyre-guitar with its resemblance to the ancient lyre is a homage to art and Apollo.

This painting inspired one pastiche or fantasy portrait depicted in the comedy film Mortdecai (2015), starring Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow.

See also

External links

Francisco Goya
List of works
Paintings
Murals
Portraits
Tapestry
cartoons

(list)
Black Paintings
(c. 1819–1823)
Print series
Los Caprichos (1797–98)
The Prisoners (1810–1815)
The Disasters of War (1810–1820)
La Tauromaquia (1815–16)
Los Disparates (1815–1823)
The Bulls of Bordeaux (1824–25)
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Museo del Prado
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Sculptures
Rome
  • On display at El Greco Museum in Toledo
  • On display at Museo de América in Madrid
  • On display at the Spanish Embassy in Paris
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