Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

Francisco Goya, Madrid, by gift in December 1778(?)/1779 (see Documents) to

Martín Zapater y Clavería (1747–1803, childless), Zaragoza;

By inheritance to one or both sons of his brother Luis (1742–1799), Mateo Zapater y Lorenz (1778–1830, childless) and/or (?) Francisco (1781–1828);

By descent to Martín Zapater's great-nephew Francisco Zapater y Gómez (1820–1897), Zaragoza (see Documents);

Timoteo Pamplona Escudero (1867–1934), artist and director of the School of Arts and Crafts, Zaragoza, by 1908 (see Exhibited);

With Manuel Vilches, Madrid, by whom sold on 15 April 1913 (see Documents) to

Mariano Ortega Morejón y Domínguez, Madrid (b. 1860; Spanish diplomat, Argentina, 1889–96);

Alejandro E. Shaw (1893–1970), Buenos Aires, Argentina, by 1930 (see Documents and Exhibited);

By inheritance to his son Alejandro Benjamín Shaw (1919–1993), by whom sold Roldán & Co., Buenos Aires, 1–3 July 1980, lot 9 (as attributed to Francisco Goya, reproduced);

Where acquired by a private collector;

Thence by descent.

DOCUMENTS, LITERATURE AND CHRONOLOGICAL CONTEXT:

1778–79: Two letters from Goya to Martín Zapater in Zaragoza are the earliest known references to this work; the first (undated, December 1778), connects it with his ‘borrones’ (oil sketches for tapestries) that were in such demand that he was left only with ‘aquel que tenía antiguo del bayle […] que por inutil se quedo’ (the old one I had of the dance… that was left because it wasn’t used); and in a follow up (dated 9 January 1779), having sent it to Zapater, Goya specifically informed him that ‘El borroncico que tu tienes es de Francisco la invención y mia la ejecución’ (‘The little sketch you have was designed by Francisco [Bayeu] and painted by me’). Both letters, partially cited by Francisco Zapater y Gómez, great-nephew and last family owner of the paintings and most of Goya’s voluminous correspondence with Martín, are unlocated, presumed lost;¹

1908: Exposición Hispano-Francesa de Zaragoza-1908. Catálogo de la sección de Arte Retrospectivo, 1908, p. 102, no. 2, (‘Cuadro de Goya que representa “un baile á orillas del Manzanares”’; lender: ‘D. Timoteo Pamplona, Zaragoza’). Probable date of the first known photographic image of the framed sketch of the ‘Dance’ borroncico, by Ignacio Coyne Lapetra, son of the founder of the photographic firm established in Zaragoza from 1878, who was responsible for the official record of the 1908 Hispano-French Exhibition (see Exhibited);²

1913: The original, handwritten invoice receipted by Manuel Vilches, dealer in Prints, Frames and Art Books at [calle del] Príncipe, 17, dated Madrid, 15 April 1913 and addressed to Sr. Mariano Ortega Morejón, for the purchase of ‘Un cuadro boceto “un baile al lado del Rio y por fondo San Fran.^co el Grande” en P^tas nueve mil; cuadro hecho por Dn Fran.^co Goya y Lucientes - - - - 9.000. / Recibí / M Vilches’ (‘A sketch painting ‘a dance beside the River with San Francisco el Grande in the background’ for nine thousand pesetas; a painting by Don Francisco Goya y Lucientes - - - - 9,000. / Received / M Vilches’);

1930: A.L. Mayer, ‘Old European art in private collections in Buenos Aires’, in Der Cicerone, XXII, 1930, p. 270, reproduced (as in the collection of Alejandro Shaw);

1933: La Prensa, 12 November 1933, reproduced on the cover of section 5, ‘Obras de arte español en la colección de Alejandro E. Shaw’ (as a ‘boceto de Goya’, ‘“Fiesta a orillas del Río Manzanares”’);³

1933–34: ‘Galerías Privadas’, in Boletín del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, vol. 1, Año 1, pp. 5–11 (with a list of loans including: ‘GOYA Y LUCIENTES (Francisco) – “Fiesta a orillas del Río Manzanares”’);

1971: P. Gassier and J. Wilson, Goya, his Life and Work, London and New York 1971, p. 75, under no. 74 (as a ‘reduction, formerly Buenos Aires’);

1980: Catalogue of the auction sale by Roldan & Co. in Buenos Aires (see Provenance);

2021: The painting finally became available for direct examination and a technical analysis was carried out at The Courtauld, London. A copy of the report is available from the department.