They are Polishing Him Up ("Y se las pulen")

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. Rendered in pen and dark brown ink with brush and gray-brown wash over off-white paper—and subtle traces of black chalk underdrawing—the piece showcases Alenza's mastery of mixed media. The composition is neatly outlined in ink, enhancing its framed, preparatory feel, possibly for a larger painting or print. Tags highlighting women and mirrors suggest a humorous tableau of female figures grooming or "polishing" a male subject, perhaps satirizing vanity, courtship rituals, or gender dynamics in Romantic-era Spain. Alenza's sharp observation and economical technique make this drawing a gem of Spanish draftsmanship, blending caricature with tender realism. It reflects a cultural moment when artists like him documented the vibrant, often absurd, tapestry of daily life, offering museum visitors a window into 19th-century Madrid's social sparkle.

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...