[Glenn Wright]

Hi, Julie—

It was fun to follow along with the painting. The title of the painting and references in the poem make clear that the dress is pink, but it appears decidedly orange. I wondered if the if the pigment changed color or if a coat of varnish was added that yellowed with time.

You do a beautiful job of reproducing the rhyme scheme and the N’s sympathy for the frail, doomed girl imprisoned in an Iron Maiden of a dress. She represents the decline of Spanish influence in Europe. Machado’s vantage point, 250 years after the time of the painting, lets him reflect on the disintegration of the Spanish New World empire. This poem was written before the Spanish Civil War, but Machado lived through it. I wonder how he felt about Franco.

I had not seen the “wrist-skirts” before. I assume that the reference to tulle made clear that the “faldas” are the wrist collars, not actually skirts.

The comparison of her fiery, abundant hair to a volcanic eruption was a startlingly original detail that suggests that there may be more passion in this sickly girl than one would suppose. Was it common for snoods to be worn on one side or did her snood become unpinned and askew? Interesting to compare Mazo’s presentation of this delicate, inbred, but feisty-looking girl with the vapid, moronic faces in Goya’s court paintings.

Lovely work.

Glenn