A man and a woman riding a mule; page 36 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)
While evoking a formula used to represent the Holy Family’s Flight into Egypt, Goya departed from that familiar tale to present a love story. He crafts an intriguing scene of romantic courtship using a reduced visual vocabulary. The posture of the riders—which denies us a clear view of the woman—their attire, and their animated conversation suggest various interpretations. They might be a couple giving free rein to furtive affection; alternatively, the man may have abducted the woman from her parental home, an informal marriage procedure once common in rural Spain.
Artwork Details
- Title:A man and a woman riding a mule; page 36 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)
- Series/Portfolio:Images of Spain Album
- Artist:Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, Fuendetodos 1746–1828 Bordeaux)
- Date:ca. 1812–20
- Medium:Brush and point of brush, gray washes, over touches or red chalk
- Dimensions:Sheet: 8 1/8 × 5 11/16 in. (20.6 × 14.5 cm)
- Classification:Drawings
- Credit Line:Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1935
- Object Number:35.103.21
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, Fuendetodos 1746–1828 Bordeaux)
1799, posthumous impression
Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, Fuendetodos 1746–1828 Bordeaux)
ca. 1815–19 (published 1864)
Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, Fuendetodos 1746–1828 Bordeaux)
ca. 1815–19 (published 1864)
Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, Fuendetodos 1746–1828 Bordeaux)
ca. 1815–19 (published 1864)
Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, Fuendetodos 1746–1828 Bordeaux)
ca. 1815–19 (published 1864)
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