The Burial of the Sardine is an oil-on-panel painting created by Francisco Goya in the 1810s. The painting depicts the final event of a three-day carnival in Madrid ending on Ash Wednesday. In the painting, there are numerous individuals wearing masks and different costumes dancing to drums and various musical instruments.
While the exact meaning behind The Burial of the Sardine is debated, critics agree that it portrays a sense of absurdity. Although titled as such, it does not seem to represent precisely what was happening during the festival when people wore black- priests and widows crying for the death of a sardine signifying Ash Wednesday’s end carnival.
The painting was part of a group bequeathed to Madrid’s Museo de la Real Academia de San Fernando by Manuel García de la Prada – a Goya collector. Currently, viewers can see The Burial Of The Sardine at this Spanish museum.
To see more works from famous artist Francisco Goya, art enthusiasts can visit an exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum next month.
