Goya y Lucientes, Francisco José de

in which Goya acknowledges payment of six thousand reales for six paintings made by him about witches, now in the palace of Alameda [ie the property of the Duke and Duchess of Osuna], 1 page, oblong 8vo (c.15 x21cm), watermark: dove in a shield, Madrid, 27 June 1798 

"Cuenta de seis quadros de conposición de asuntos de Brujas, q[ue] estan en la Lameda seis mil r[eale]^s. v[ellón]ⁿ, Madrid 27 de Junio de 1798..."



together with a note about the payment, drawn up by the administration of the ducal palace, identifying the payment to "Dⁿ Fran^co de Goya, Pint[o]^r", for the six paintings he has done for the House of His Excellency at Alameda, "...(asuntos de Brujas)...", 1 page, 8vo, Madrid, 27 June 1798



2 items, mounted, framed and glazed, c.47 x 34cm

Miguel Herrero, 'Un autógrafo de Goya', in Archivio español de arte, 1940-1941;   Isabel Pérez Hernández, 'Análisis de la obra “Asuntos de brujas” realizada por Francisco de Goya para la Casa de campo de la Alameda de la condesa duquesa de Benavente', in AXA, una revista di arte y aquitectura, Madrid: Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio, 2009;  Diana Olivares Martinez, 'Los cuadros de brujería de Goya', suite101.net, 2011

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
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This receipt refers to a celebrated series of six oil paintings about witchcraft, which includes "Vuelo de brujas" ("Flight of the Witches"), now in The Prado, and "Bewitched by Force" ("El hechizado por fuerza" or "La lámpara del diablo"), in the National Gallery London.  Two of the other paintings are in the Fundación Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid:  "El Aquelarre" ("The Witches' Sabbath") and "El Conjuro o Las Brujas" ("The Spell").  The two remaining have been tentatively identified as "La cocina de las brujas" ("The Witches' Kitchen"), in a private collection, and "El convidado de piedra" ("The Stone Guest"), which is apparently untraced. 

The six paintings were either commissioned by Goya's patrons the Duke and Duchess of Osuna, or purchased very soon after.  Goya painted portraits of both Pedro and María Josefa, who were also early purchasers of Goya's great contemporary collection of etchings, Los caprichos, some of which (eg. no.45) explore similar themes.  The six pictures remained at Alameda de Osuna until 1896, when the ducal palace and its library was sold by public auction and when, for example, the National Gallery purchased "Bewitched by Force".   Goya's "Flight of the Witches" (or "Witches in the Air") has recently featured as the painting stolen in the Danny Boyle film "Trance", starring James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson and Lord Poltimore.