María Cayetana de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba

The Most Excellent The Duchess of Alba
The White Duchess by Francisco de Goya, 1795
Spouse(s)	José Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba
Issue María de la Luz (adopted)
Full name María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva Álvarez de Toledo y Silva Bazán
Noble family	House of Alba
Born	(1762-06-10)June 10, 1762 Madrid, Spain
Died	Sanlúcar la Mayor, Andalusia, Spain

Doña María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva-Álvarez de Toledo y Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain (full name, see infobox; 10 June 1762 – 23 July 1802), was a Spanish aristocrat and a popular subject of the painter Francisco de Goya y Lucientes.

Biography

María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva Alvarez de Toledo became the 13th Duchess of Alba in 1776. Her marriage to José Álvarez de Toledo, 11th Marquis of Villafranca, made her and her husband the wealthiest couple in the Kingdom of Spain; their only rivals to this title were the House of Osuna.

The Duchess' relationship with famed Spanish painter Francisco Goya and her somewhat eccentric personality have contributed greatly to a continuing interest in her life during the two centuries since her death. Goya executed several well-known portraits of the duchess, most of them during his stay at Sanlúcar de Barrameda (one of the Andalusian country seats of the House of Medina-Sidonia), shortly after the death of her husband, the Duke of Alba, who was also Duke of Medina Sidonia, in 1796.

Goya's accompaniment of the recently widowed Duchess combined with certain innuendo expressed in his portraits of her have exacerbated rumors that the two were lovers. Although this has never been confirmed, the sheer number of portraits the artist painted of the duchess certainly suggests, at the very least, a close platonic relationship between the two.

The painting La maja desnuda, executed between 1797 and 1800 by Goya, has also been rumored to portray her. The painting, considered scandalous by Spanish society of the time, depicts a fully nude reclining woman. It, together with a companion piece depicting the same model clothed, La maja vestida, was commissioned by Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy (the known lover of Spain's queen, María Luisa).

The true identity of the Majas is uncertain. Many art historians over the years have rejected the possibility that the painting depicts the duchess, including Australian art critic Robert Hughes in his 2003 biography, Goya. Those scholars believe that the painting depicts either Godoy's young mistress or an idealized composite of several different models.

Death and succession

The Duchess died under somewhat mysterious circumstances in July 1802 at the age of 40. Although her death was ostensibly due to tuberculosis and a fever, more colorful scenarios have been suggested over the years, among them a theory that she was poisoned (this theory was dramatized in the film The Naked Maja). She had no biological issue although she did have an adoptive daughter, known as María de la Luz.

After her death, the title Duke of Alba passed to a relative, Carlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart (1794–1835), who became the 14th Duke of Alba.

Ancestry

Ancestors of María del Pilar de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba

16. Gregorio de Silva, 9th Duke of Infantado               8. Manuel José de Silva, 10th Count of Galve                       17. María Mendez de Haro y Fernandez de Cordoba               4. Fernando de Silva, 12th Duke of Alba                             18. Francisco Álvarez de Toledo, 10th Duke of Alba               9. María Teresa Álvarez de Toledo, 11th Duchess of Alba                       19. Catalina Méndez de Haro, 8th Marquise of the Carpio               2. Francisco de Silva, 10th Duke of Huéscar                                   20. Manuel de Toledo y Portugal, 8th Count of Oropesa               10. Vicente Álvarez de Toledo, 9th Count of Oropesa                       21. Isabel María Téllez-Girón               5. Ana María Bernarda Álvarez de Toledo y Fernández de Córdoba                             22. Luis Fernández de Córdoba, 7th Marquis of Priego               11. Maria de la Encarnacion Fernández de Cordoba y de la Cerda                       23. Feliche María de la Cerda y Aragón               1. María del Pilar de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba                                         24. Pedro de Silva, 12th Count of Cifuentes               12. José de Silva y Fernández de Córdoba                       25. Elena Fernández de Cordoba y Sfrondrati di Masibradi               6. Pedro de Silva-Bazán, 8th Marquis of Santa Cruz                             26. Artal de Alagón, 5th Marquis of Villasor               13. Manuela de Alagón, 6th Marquise of Villasor                       27. Ana María de Pimentel y Benavides de Bazán               3. Mariana de Silva-Bazán y Sarmiento                                   28. José Salvador Sarmiento y Zúñiga               14. José Sarmiento, 5th Count of Salvatierra                       29. Maria Victoria Fernández de Velasco y Carvajal               7. María Cayetana Sarmiento, 4th Marquise of Arcicóllar                             30. Francisco Melchor Dávila, 8th Marquis of Loriana               15. Leonor Dávila, 8th Marquise of Baides                       31. Aloysia de Zúñiga, 6th Marquise of Baides

Images by Francisco Goya

• Goya alba2.jpg

  Mourning Portrait of the Duchess of Alba (1797). Alternately known as The Black Duchess.

• La duquesa de Alba y la Beata.jpg

  The Duchess and la Beata (1795)

• Duquesa de Alba peinandose.jpg

  The Duchess arranging her hair

Doubted to represent the Duchess

• 

  "La Maja Desnuda"

• 

  "La Maja Vestida"

Sources

Spanish nobility
Preceded by Fernando de Silva	Duchess of Alba 1776–1802	Succeeded by Carlos Fitz-James Stuart
Preceded by Francisco de Silva	Duchess of Huéscar 1770–1776
Italian nobility
Preceded by Fernando de Silva	Countess of Modica 1776–1802	Succeeded by Carlos Fitz-James Stuart