Tadea Arias de Enríquez

1789 was a turning point for Goya. Charles IV made him a court painter that year, and across the Pyrenees the French Revolution was breaking out, news that would keep Spain's monarchy on edge for the rest of Goya's life. This portrait sits right at that hinge. The two coats of arms in the lower corner suggest it was painted for the first engagement of Tadea Arias de Enriquez, in 1789. Goya shows her at full length in a gown of pale gauze, and much of the picture is simply his pleasure in that fabric, the way the light passes through the tulle to catch the pink skirt beneath. She was about 19.