Perhaps most people know Goya from the dark paintings of his mature period, when illness, the loss of hearing and loved ones, but also old age, had made him withdraw into himself. Until that turning point, his work was rather conventional, though his unique talent already made him a court favorite.

In his middle period, he created La Maja Desnuda (The Nude Maja), a masterpiece that shocked the era. It is described as the first truly "profane" life-size female nude in Western art, devoid of any mythological meaning. To accompany it, he also painted an identical, fully dressed companion piece, La Maja Vestida (The Clothed Maja). The woman’s identity remains a mystery. Movies like Goya en Burdeos depict her as the Duchess of Alba, romanticizing their relationship, while historians point to Pepita Tudó, mistress of Manuel de Godoy, Spain's Prime Minister.

Godoy kept both paintings in his private cabinet. They were meant to be shown together, with the clothed version hanging in front of the naked one. Using a hidden pulley system, Vestida could be pulled away to unexpectedly reveal the scandalous nude to his guests. The Spanish Inquisition eventually confiscated both works as "obscene" in 1813. Today, they hang safely side-by-side in the Museo del Prado.