Self-portrait; Goya wearing a top hat facing left within a drawn frame c. 1797 - 1798

Francisco Goya made this self-portrait with sanguine on paper. It provides insight into the artist's perception of himself and his role within society. Drawn in Spain, the portrait depicts Goya wearing a top hat, a symbol of bourgeois status during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This reflects the artist's ambition and his positioning within a changing social landscape, as he rose from modest origins to become a celebrated court painter. The drawn frame around the portrait adds another layer of meaning, perhaps suggesting the controlled and constructed nature of self-representation or the influence of academic art institutions. Understanding the historical context of Goya's life and career, through letters, reviews, and other archival material, helps us appreciate how his art both reflected and challenged the social norms of his time. Ultimately, this self-portrait reminds us that art is always a product of its social and institutional environment.