胜利的汉尼拔首次从阿尔卑斯山眺望意大利

This is the earliest painting we can securely put in Goya's hand. He made it in Italy around 1770, in his mid-twenties, long before the court portraits and the black nightmares he is now remembered for. It was an entry for a competition run by the art academy in Parma, which set the subject down to the details: the general Hannibal, having crossed the Alps, lifts his visor and gazes for the first time at the Italy he means to conquer, while a winged spirit points the way and a river god looks on. Goya did not win. The judges gave him a special mention, praising the warm expressiveness of Hannibal's face and his skilful brushwork, and awarded him eight of the panel's votes.