However, art historians and scholars have suggested she is María Cayetana de Silva or Godoy's mistress Pepita Tudó.

[2] The origins of both paintings are unclear, with some sources claiming they were commissioned by the Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy for his private collection.

However, Lion Feuchtwanger, a Bavarian novelist and playwright, cites in his book Goya (1951) that Godoy allegedly purchased both of the paintings from the heirs of María Cayetana de Silva, the 13th Duchess of Alba, after her death in 1802.

Another piece of evidence comes from a 1797 portrait where she is wearing two rings, one inscribed 'Goya' and the other 'Alba', on her hand pointing down towards a hidden inscription at her feet that says, "Only Goya".

Frederic Quillet had been tasked by his commander, Joseph Bonaparte, to make an inventory of Godoy's private collection during the French occupation of Spain.