Coming of the Virgin of the Pillar to Zaragoza (Venida de la Virgen del Pilar a Zaragoza)

This work by Goya is known only from photographs taken by Juan Mora Insa. The subject was not new to Goya, as he had depicted it in his first known work, the doors of the reliquary of the Church of Fuendetodos, Zaragoza, as well as on various occasions for small devotional paintings commissioned by private clients.

The Virgin Mary appears on clouds, accompanied by her devoted host of angels, who carry her image and the column. It has a gentler aspect than the surviving sketch, which was painted in a much more spontaneous manner. Some figures have been eliminated from the final painting, and secondary figures are also given less importance. In general, this painting features a more simple composition than that used by Goya on previous occasions. Although it maintains the diagonal line of the sketch, it is also more static and monumental.

Saint James still shows the influence of Antonio González Velázquez, and is reminiscent of the image of the apostle painted on the doors of the reliquary. Following the discovery of the Italian Notebook, this figure has also been compared with the figure of Abraham which appears in a sketch in the notebook. In that drawing, God appears to Abraham to order him to construct an altar. When Mary appears to Saint James she orders him to build a chapel to hold his image, thus completing the parallelism between the two works.

A preparatory study and a sketchfor this work have survived.