Skip to main content

Primary sourcePainting1826

The Painter Francisco Goya

Vicente López Portaña · 1826

A portrait of the elderly Goya painted by fellow artist Vicente López Portaña in Madrid, 1826.

This life portrait of the elderly Goya is the most trusted image of him made by another artist.

Ask Francisco Goya about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Oil portrait of an elderly man with white hair, seated in a wooden chair against a dark background. He wears a gray-blue coat over a white ruffled shirt and cravat, and holds a paintbrush and an oval palette. Inscription at left reads 'Lopez a su amigo Goya'.
Vicente López Portaña, The Painter Francisco Goya, 1826. Museo del Prado, Madrid.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting shows Francisco Goya at around 80 years old, seated with a paintbrush and palette in hand. It was painted by Vicente López Portaña during a visit Goya made to Madrid in 1826, and is held today at the Museo del Prado.

Why it matters

Because López painted Goya from life, this portrait is considered the most reliable likeness of the famous painter made by someone else. It shows how later generations of artists regarded Goya as a master worth honouring, even in his old age, far from the height of his fame.

Look closer

  • What does Goya's pose and the objects he holds tell you about how he wanted to be remembered?
  • Why might an artist paint a portrait of another, older artist?
  • What clues in the inscription show the relationship between the two painters?

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.

More Francisco Goya sources

Meet the AI Francisco Goya →
Painting of a nighttime execution. On the left, a man in a white shirt and yellow trousers throws his arms up while other prisoners cover their faces or kneel. Bodies lie bloodied on the ground in the foreground. On the right, a row of soldiers in dark shakos aims muskets at the prisoners, beside a lantern-lit box. A town with a church tower sits under a dark sky.Painting

Secondary source

The Third of May 1808

Francisco Goya · 1814

Black and white etching of Goya's Disasters of War series, plate 2, titled 'Con razón ó sin ella'. A bearded man in dark clothing, arm outstretched, is pushed back by a soldier thrusting a rifle with bayonet; another soldier in a tall hat stands behind. Bodies lie on the ground at left, and a crowd of figures is crouched in the background.Painting

Primary source

The Disasters of War

Francisco Goya · 1810-1820

Etching showing a standing man in pale clothing with head bowed, leaning against a wooden post, while a seated figure and a lying body in the foreground appear in dark shadow. Plate labeled 'Y no hai remedio' beneath the image.Painting

Primary source

Y no hai remedio

Francisco de Goya · c. 1810-1814 (published 1863)

Etching from Goya's Caprichos, plate 43. A sleeping man rests his head on a desk with his arms folded while owls, bats, and a cat gather around him in a dark sky. Caption reads 'El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.' Number 43 in the top right corner.Painting

Primary source

Caprichos

Francisco Goya · 1799 (created 1797-1798)

Etching of a man asleep with his head on his arms at a desk, surrounded by owls, bats, and a cat. Inscription in the lower left reads 'El sueño de la razón produce monstruos'. Dark, hatched lines on a light ground.Painting

Primary source

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

Francisco Goya · 1797-1799

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Francisco Goya now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions