Francisco Goya's 'The Nude Maja' (c. 1797–1800) is considered the first life-size Western painting of a realistic female nude presented without any mythological pretext, staring directly at the viewer. Apparently commissioned by prime minister Manuel Godoy for his private cabinet, it brought the artist before the Spanish Inquisition in 1815. Goya produced a clothed companion, 'The Clothed Maja', intended to be hung over the nude so that the 'unveiling' could be staged by a simple mechanism. The identity of the sitter — long debated between the Duchess of Alba and Godoy's mistress Pepita Tudó — has never been settled.

Exhibition Venue

Museo del Prado

Madrid, Spain