Goya’s «Virgin and Child» Joins the Exhibition «Goya: From Museum to Palace»

The painting «Virgin with Child» by Francisco de Goya (1772-1773) has been added to the exhibition «Goya, from Museum to Palace» at the Palace of Aljafería, presented by Pedro Olloqui and Marta Fernández, highlighting its cultural and artistic relevance.

The work «Virgin with Child» replaces the «Portrait of José de Cistué,» which has been returned to the Museum of Huesca. The presentation was led by Pedro Olloqui, General Director of Culture, and Marta Fernández, President of the Cortes of Aragón. This piece, an oil on canvas, comes from a private collection and was previously on loan at the Museum of Zaragoza.

This work by Goya, influenced by Raphael Mengs, showcases a classical style with an oval face and soft features of the Virgin. The technique employed reveals, through X-ray analysis, an underlying monastic figure on the reused canvas. The work is related to the paintings from Aula Dei and the drawings from the Italian Sketchbook, which are also exhibited in the show. The iconography of the painting presents the Virgin and Child in delicate harmony, suggesting that it may be a possible early version of another work featuring Saint Joseph.

This is an exhibition «alive, dynamic, capable of evolving over time,» and in this sense, this Thursday it incorporates ‘The Virgin with Child,’ a classical piece, «magnificently executed» that comes from «a moment of absolute consolidation of the painter, in which he is giving the best of his classical training, allowing him later to reach the highest peaks of painting.» «It is an extremely important work to understand the emergence of that Goya who will traverse the path towards modernity, towards contemporaneity,» he affirmed, thanking the collectors who have lent the painting for the public to contemplate it in the Palace of Aljafería.

The President of the Cortes of Aragón, Marta Fernández, also expressed gratitude for «the generosity and sense of the common good» of the private owner of the work, as well as the Museum of Zaragoza, for allowing all visitors of Aljafería to view «one of the most significant works of Francisco de Goya in its symbolic content, which reflects the value of motherhood, family, and the religious and Marian devotion of the Aragonese painter.» The genius of the painter, added Marta Fernández, «is enhanced by these values that he reflects in his extensive work and, specifically, with this Virgin with Child.»

The exhibition takes place at the Palace of Aljafería, an area declared a World Heritage Site, and is open to the public from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM every day. Since its opening in December 2024, it has attracted 167,884 visitors, with a majority of nationals (65%) compared to foreigners (35%).

According to Pedro Olloqui, the exhibition has been a «resounding success,» highlighting its ability to renew itself with temporary additions like this one. Marta Fernández emphasized the symbolic value of motherhood and religious devotion represented in the work.