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Primary sourcePainting1797

The Black Duchess

Francisco Goya · 1797

A 1797 mourning portrait of the Duchess of Alba by Goya, bearing the inscription 'Solo Goya' scratched into the sand.

Goya painted and kept this intimate mourning portrait of the Duchess of Alba, a central figure in his personal life.

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Full-length painting of a woman in a black dress and black lace mantilla, with a red sash and gold-trimmed sleeves, standing on a sandy path in a landscape with trees and a pale sky. Her right hand rests at her side and her left hand is on her hip. Her hand has rings. Faint inscription at the lower left.
Francisco Goya, The Black Duchess (Portrait of the Duchess of Alba), 1797. Hispanic Society of America, New York.

About this source

What it is

Painted in 1797 by Francisco Goya, this portrait shows María Cayetana de Silva, Duchess of Alba, in mourning black after her husband's death. It is held by the Hispanic Society of America, New York.

Why it matters

The painting is famous for the words 'solo Goya' lightly scratched into the ground near her feet, along with rings inscribed 'Alba' and 'Goya' on her hand — details long taken as evidence of intimacy between painter and sitter, though this remains debated by historians. Goya kept the painting himself until his death, and it later passed through several owners before reaching the United States.

Look closer

  • Why might Goya have hidden the word 'solo' until the painting was later restored?
  • What does her choice of 'maja' style clothing suggest about how she wanted to be seen?
  • Why do art historians treat the 'Solo Goya' inscription with caution rather than as proof of a relationship?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francisco Goya on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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