Maja and Celestina Balcony; Celestina and Her Daughter, Historical: "During the War of Independence Goya painted some works in a personal capacity....The picture appears in the inventory of the distribution of goods between Goya and his son Javier Josefa's death in 1812 as one of the two boxes to the balcony...where [there are other] balcony pestles. The work was acquired by Francisco de Goya Javier Acebal and Arratia and then passed to his heir, Luis Mac-Crohon with collection in Madrid. It was acquired in 1942 by John March and passed, in 1962, his son Bartolome March. It was sold to another private owner in 2003." The lighter and more central figure is a "beautiful young girl, blond hair, leaning against the iron railing of a balcony, showing off her figure. She wears a gray robe with gold braid, exposing her generous cleavage. To her left and further away from the railing, an old woman is holding a rosary in her hands, [and has a] mischievous look as she ponders. The right of the composition closes with a gray curtain, and the dark end of the room, without furniture or details in view, not allowed to know what is there. The central figure is similar to a young pestle Goya painted in the frescoes of the chapel of San Antonio de la Florida in Madrid. It is also close to some of Los Caprichos, where Goya also addressed the issue of the pestle and the matchmaker. Reappearance of these sensual pestles in Goya's work in these years may have been motivated, as has been suggested, for romance with the then young Leocadia Weiss, whose portrait may have wanted to see the leading lady of the letter. Property Registration of Javier Goya, "X 24" , is no longer visible on the canvas, but was located in the bottom corner left." (Fundacion Goya en Aragon), ca.1808-1812

Maja and Celestina Balcony; Celestina and Her Daughter, Historical: "During the War of Independence Goya painted some works in a personal capacity....The picture appears in the inventory of the distribution of goods between Goya and his son Javier Josefa's death in 1812 as one of the two boxes to the balcony...where [there are other] balcony pestles. The work was acquired by Francisco de Goya Javier Acebal and Arratia and then passed to his heir, Luis Mac-Crohon with collection in Madrid. It was acquired in 1942 by John March and passed, in 1962, his son Bartolome March. It was sold to another private owner in 2003." The lighter and more central figure is a "beautiful young girl, blond hair, leaning against the iron railing of a balcony, showing off her figure. She wears a gray robe with gold braid, exposing her generous cleavage. To her left and further away from the railing, an old woman is holding a rosary in her hands, [and has a] mischievous look as she ponders. The right of the composition closes with a gray curtain, and the dark end of the room, without furniture or details in view, not allowed to know what is there. The central figure is similar to a young pestle Goya painted in the frescoes of the chapel of San Antonio de la Florida in Madrid. It is also close to some of Los Caprichos, where Goya also addressed the issue of the pestle and the matchmaker. Reappearance of these sensual pestles in Goya's work in these years may have been motivated, as has been suggested, for romance with the then young Leocadia Weiss, whose portrait may have wanted to see the leading lady of the letter. Property Registration of Javier Goya, "X 24" , is no longer visible on the canvas, but was located in the bottom corner left." (Fundacion Goya en Aragon), ca.1808-1812, spc-mss0088-s41-i0184, Box: 283. Contini-Volterra Photographic Archive, MSS.0088. Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives. https://collections.library.vanderbilt.edu//repositories/2/archival_objects/577769 Accessed August 30, 2026.