The Duchess of Alba and la Beata The Duchess of Alba and la Beata The Duchess of Alba and "la Beata" (or The Duchess of Alba and the Pious Woman; Spanish: La duquesa de Alba y su dueña o La Duquesa de Alba y "la Beata") is a small 1795 oil on canvas painting by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. It portrays the Duchess María Cayetana de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba reaching playfully towards her maid (or "duena") Rafaela Luisa Velazquez (known as "la Beata"), who leans away. María holds a red cord under the chin of the older woman, which seems to scare her as
Fernando de Silva, 12th Duke of Alba Fernando de Silva, 12th Duke of Alba Fernando de Silva y Álvarez de Toledo, 12th Duke of Alba, GE, KOGF, KOHS, KOC (27 October 1714 – 15 November 1776), was a Spanish politician and general who was Prime Minister of Spain in 1754. Better known as the Duke of Huéscar, Fernando de Silva was a man of the Enlightenment and friend of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He was Spanish ambassador to France between 1746 and 1749. On November 8, 1753 he was appointed Mayordomo mayor and chief of the Royal Household and, on April 9, 1754 he was made director of the