Allegory of the City of Madrid
Francisco Goya·1809
Historical Context
Goya painted this allegorical composition for the City of Madrid around 1809-1810, originally celebrating the French-installed King Joseph Bonaparte. The central oval, which originally contained Joseph's portrait, was repeatedly repainted as political control of Madrid shifted—from Joseph's portrait to the word "constitución" to a portrait of Ferdinand VII and finally to the current text "Dos de Mayo." The painting's unstable iconography mirrors Spain's political turbulence.
Technical Analysis
Goya arranges allegorical figures of Madrid's virtues around the central oval with the classical vocabulary expected of civic commissions. The warm palette and the accomplished handling of the female figures contrast with the painting's troubled history of political revision.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the central oval that has been repainted multiple times: what began as Joseph Bonaparte's portrait became 'constitución', then Ferdinand VII's portrait, and finally 'Dos de Mayo' — the painting's surface is a physical record of Spanish political history.
- ◆Look at the allegorical figures of Madrid's virtues surrounding the oval: Goya renders these classical personifications with the warm confident brushwork of his official commissions.
- ◆Observe the contrast between the stable allegorical framework and the unstable central content: the classical figures remain constant while the oval they surround has been repeatedly revised.
- ◆Find the historical irony made visible: this single painting has served four different political masters, each requiring a different central image while the surrounding allegory remained unchanged.
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