Francisco de Goya and the Duchess of Alba

In this iconic portrait of María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva Álvarez de Toledo, XIII Duchess of Alba, the duchess is thirty-three years old, and is dressed in an elegant high-waisted white dress featuring the red ribbon tied around her waist. White and red refer to the colors of the Casa de Alba, whose coat of arms was surrounded in the 18th century by a purple cloak lined with ermine, although they could also derive from the fashion used in France to protest the blood shed during the revolutionary terror.

The painting draws attention to the mastery with which the fabric of the dress has been painted and the long dark curly hair up to the waist, reflecting the personality of the XIII Duchess. On the bracelet on her left arm you can read the initials of her illustrious last names, S for Silva and T for Álvarez de Toledo, of her husband. The right hand is extended to the ground, pointing to the inscription with the author's signature “To the Duchess/by Alba Frco. From/Goya 1795”. Next to him, a white woolen dog was later added. Its hind leg is adorned with a small red ribbon to match that of the Duchess.