Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga (1784–1792)

Outfitted in a splendid red costume, the son of the count and countess of Altamira is shown between a cage of finches and three wide-eyed cats who appear captivated by the boy’s pet magpie. In its beak the magpie holds Goya’s calling card and signature. Goya may have intended this cast of animals as a reminder of the frail boundaries that separate the child’s world from the forces of evil, or as a commentary on the fleeting nature of innocence and youth. Manuel died only a few years after his portrait was painted, at the age of eight.