Manola (La Leocadia)
by GOYA Y LUCIENTES, Francisco de, Oil on canvas, 147 x 132 cm
This painting (Una manola) was originally in the ground floor room of the Quinta del Sordo.
The woman dressed in mourning may represent Leocadia Weiss, who became Goya’s partner after the death of his wife, Josefa. She is leaning against a mound of earth with a grave rail on top. The artist offers no explanation for the scene. It is possible that Goya himself is supposed to be lying in the grave, and that his Black Paintings are meant to be seen as messages from the hereafter.