Francisco de Goya, 'A Picnic', 1785-90

Goya adds a satirical twist to this supposedly innocent scene, set in an idyllic landscape. It appears that a romantic outing has gone terribly wrong. The remains of a picnic lie on the tablecloth: pieces of bread, two almost-empty plates and bottles of wine. To the right, a man appears to be unwell, presumably from drinking too much, and he cradles his face in his hands.

In the centre, a man holding a full glass of wine tries to flirt with the woman sat near him. She – presumably the sick man’s picnic companion – looks out at us, seemingly rejecting his advances. Another man leans on his hand, fast asleep. Behind him, three men are deep in conversation, as if plotting to take advantage of the situation – two look out at us, amused.

This sketch is one of a series of designs by Goya for tapestries intended to decorate the bedrooms of King Charles III of Spain’s daughters at the palace of El Pardo, outside Madrid. The works explore a number of themes in countryside settings – hunting, music and dance, playing games and eating – inspired by light-hearted scenes of daily life in Madrid. These subjects reflected the King’s own desire to understand the lives of working-class people. Only one tapestry, that depicting a game of blind man’s bluff, was finally woven (and is now in the Museo del Prado, Madrid). Perhaps the scene we see here was deemed too disturbing for the princesses' bedrooms.

In 1775 Goya had started working for the Royal Tapestry Factory and he continued to produce designs on and off for the next two decades. During this time, he established his career as court painter.

This picture is typical of Goya’s style in the later 1780s: the paint is applied softly, with a light touch, creating hazy lighting effects and visible, lively brushstrokes. It was among a group of works by Goya sold to the Duke of Osuna, one of the artist’s most loyal supporters and patrons, in about 1799. The painting remained with the Osuna family until the National Gallery bought it in 1896, together with A Scene from El Hechizado por Fuerza.