description The Naked Maja Overview
The Naked Maja is an oil painting by Francisco Goya, generally dated to around 1797 to 1800, depicting a nude woman reclining on cushions and looking directly at the viewer. Its frank representation of the body, including visible pubic hair, departed from conventions that often justified the female nude through mythological identity. Goya later painted a closely corresponding clothed version, The Clothed Maja, and both works are held by the Prado Museum in Madrid.
help The Naked Maja FAQ
Who is the woman in Goya's The Naked Maja?
Her identity has never been established conclusively. Suggestions have included the Duchess of Alba and Pepita Tudó, but neither identification is supported by decisive evidence.
Did Goya paint a clothed version of The Naked Maja?
Yes. The Clothed Maja shows a reclining woman in almost the same pose and dimensions, although scholars still debate exactly how the two paintings were originally displayed.
Why was The Naked Maja investigated by the Spanish Inquisition?
Its direct, contemporary-looking presentation of a nude woman was unusually explicit for Spanish art, including visible pubic hair and an unidealized gaze toward the viewer. The Inquisition questioned Goya about the paintings in 1815, but his recorded response has not survived.
Where are The Naked Maja and The Clothed Maja displayed?
Both paintings are in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Seeing them together makes their nearly identical poses and sharply different treatment of dress especially clear.
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