They are Polishing Him Up ("Y se las pulen")
1807–45
Medium
Pen and dark brown ink with brush and gray-brown wash on off-white paper. Composition outlined with pen and dark brown ink on all sides. Traces of black chalk underscript under inscription
Dimensions
6-7/8 x 5-1/8 in. (17.5 x 13.0 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dodge Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.29.19
Tags
Art Historical Context
Leonardo Alenza y Nieto (7–1845), a prominent Spanish artist of the early 19th century, captures everyday life with wit and precision in *They are Polishing Him* ("Y se las pul"). This intimate drawing, created during his short but influential career, exemplifies the Costumbrismo movement which celebrated Spain's customs, manners, and social quirks through vivid genre scenes. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the Dodge Fund in 1939), the work measures a modest 6-7/8 x 5-1/8 inches, inviting close inspection of its delicate details. Rendere...
About the Artist
Leonardo Alenza y Nieto · 1807–1845
Leonardo Alenza y Nieto (1807–1845) was a Spanish painter and caricaturist whose brief life produced a body of work remarkable for its satirical wit, psychological penetration, and painterly freedom. Born in Madrid, he trained at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, the preeminent institution for artistic education in Spain, where he absorbed the technical foundations of academic pai...