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Primary sourcePainting1800-1807

The Clothed Maja

Francisco Goya · 1800-1807

A painting by Goya showing a reclining woman fully dressed, companion piece to his famous nude Maja.

Goya painted this clothed companion piece, later seized by the Inquisition, which also investigated him over its nude twin.

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Painting of a woman reclining on a green divan with her left arm raised behind her head. She wears a white dress with a pink sash, gold-embroidered yellow sleeves with black ribbons, and gold shoes. Dark background.
Francisco Goya, La maja vestida, 1800-1807. Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando / Museo del Prado, Madrid.

About this source

What it is

La maja vestida is an oil painting by Francisco Goya, created between 1800 and 1807, showing a woman reclining on a divan in elaborate dress. It is a clothed counterpart to Goya's earlier nude painting of the same model, La maja desnuda. The identity of both the model and whoever commissioned it remain unconfirmed; the paintings are now displayed together at the Museo del Prado.

Why it matters

The two paintings were never shown publicly in Goya's lifetime and were later seized by the Spanish Inquisition, which investigated Goya over them. Some historians connect the paintings to the politician Manuel de Godoy or to the Duchess of Alba, with whom Goya was rumoured to have had a relationship. The paintings show how private, daring artworks could become dangerous once politics and the Inquisition intervened.

Look closer

  • Why might a painter create both a clothed and an unclothed version of the same figure?
  • What does the seizure of these paintings by the Inquisition tell you about the society Goya lived in?
  • What is missing from the facts about who the model really was — why might that be?

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