The Duchess of Alba and La Beata  1795

The lively, somewhat childish character of Cayetana, the Duchess of Alba, is reflected in this little canvas. Her back is turned to the viewer, but she is recognizable by her abundantly curly black hair. She plays at frightening her duenna, Rafaela Luisa Velázquez, known as “la Beata” (“the Sanctimonious”). The Duchess shows the old woman a coral charm of the sort designed...