The baby in this portrait was about a year old when Goya painted her. Her big brother is the little boy in red with the pet magpie, one of the most popular paintings in the Metropolitan Museum. Before a 2014 exhibition brought them together, the two portraits normally hung on different floors of the museum.
What you're looking at
María Ignacia Álvarez de Toledo, the Condesa de Altamira, sits on a sofa in an interior room and holds her infant daughter, María Agustina. The countess wears a pink dress with a flower pattern along the hem, and Goya paints her shimmering embroidered silk with great skill. Mother and daughter each hold a small bunch of violets. Both stare into the distance with faraway looks, which the Met says reveal Goya's ability to give even the most formal portrait a sense of inner life.
A baby with a date
María Agustina was born on February 21, 1787. Judging from her age, the portrait was probably painted between the end of 1787 and early 1788. The Met's curators note that the countess is dressed in the French style of the time, like the Marquesa de Pontejos, another Goya sitter.
Four portraits for one family
The Count of Altamira, the countess's husband, commissioned a group of family portraits from Goya. This is one of four Goya painted of the family. Another is the portrait of her son Manuel Osorio, the boy with the pet magpie holding Goya's calling card in its beak. The Met says the family's patronage greatly advanced Goya's career, and that shortly after this work was completed he was appointed court painter to Charles IV of Spain. The 2014 exhibition brought all four family portraits together for the first time since they were painted.
The countess herself
Little is known about María Ignacia, who lived from 1757 to 1795. She and the count married in 1774 and had seven children. She was said to be fond of society events and to have a passion for card games, especially faro and trictrac, a cousin of backgammon. Her older brother José married the Duchess of Alba, and the couple were among Goya's most important patrons.