Jul 23
The 2nd of May 1808 in Madrid or "The Fight with the Mamelukes"
Artist: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746-1828)
Date: 1814
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain
Description
This painting depicts a scene from the uprising of May 2nd against the French , the beginning of the Spanish War of Independence against Napoleon , who had occupied Spain in 1808 and was going to install his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, as king.
In the painting, Spanish insurgents attack the Mamluks, Egyptian mercenaries fighting alongside the French army. This revolt was brutally crushed by the occupying army.
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