The French novelist Theòphile Gautier said of this painting: "It looks as if the corner baker and his wife after they have won the lottery."

"Goya's true-to-life portrait probably shocked no one; even the Queen on occasion had made light of her ugliness, perhaps expecting to be contradicted. The royal couple expressed neither displeasure nor enthusiasm over the work. And although Goya never painted for the King and Queen again, it was apparently not because they were dissatisfied. In any case, Goya had gained fame at the court and his interests now turned more to fulfilling his own artistic needs. In 1802 the Duchess of Albe died, symbolically closing the period in Goya's life when he painted for the pleasure of the rich and powerful in Madrid." From Richard Schickel's book The World of Goya, published by Time-Life in 1968, page 74.

To read about Goya's use of mirrors in regards to this painting, go here.