Saint Joseph's Dream (El Sueño de San José)

This painting was included in a set of seven scenes commissioned by the Duke of Sobradiel Palace in Zaragoza for his private chapel. It shows the moment in Matthew 1:20 when the Angel Gabriel visits Saint Joseph to tell him he should accept the Virgin Mary as his wife without hesitation. For the composition, Francisco Goya was inspired by works by the painter Simon Vouet (1540–1649), which he discovered via engravings by Michel Dorigny.