Portrait of the Marquise de Lazán

Goya painted the Marquise of Lazán around 1804, producing a portrait of the Countess of Bureta, María Consolación de Azlor, a noblewoman who would later gain fame for her courageous defense of Zaragoza during the French sieges of 1808-09. At the time of this portrait, however, she was simply an elegant aristocrat, depicted by Goya with the luminous technique and psychological acuity that characterize his finest pre-war portraiture. The painting captures a moment of peacetime prosperity before the catastrophe of the Peninsular War transformed both sitter and artist. The Marquise's later heroism makes this serene portrait a poignant document of the world the war destroyed.

Goya renders the marquesa with vivid presence and characteristic energy, using the dramatic pose and rich costume to create a portrait of aristocratic self-assurance painted with bold, confident brushwork.