Editing Francisco Goya (section)

==Early years (1746–1771)==
[[File:Casa natal de Francisco Goya, Fuendetodos, Zaragoza, España, 2015-01-08, DD 06.JPG|thumb|220px|Birth house of Francisco Goya, Fuendetodos, Zaragoza]]
Francisco de Goya was born in [[Fuendetodos]], Aragón, [[History of Spain (1700–1808)|Spain]], on 30 March 1746 to José Benito de Goya y Franque and Gracia de Lucientes y Salvador. The family had moved that year from the city of [[Zaragoza]], but there is no record of why; likely, José was commissioned to work there.<ref name="h32">Hughes (2004), 32</ref> They were lower middle-class. José was the son of a [[notary]] and of [[Basque people|Basque]] origin, his ancestors being from [[Zerain]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zerain.com/francisco-de-goya,lista,57,famous-people-from-zerain,21,know-it,3|title=ZERAINGO OSPETSUAK : Francisco de Goya|website=Zerain.com|access-date=21 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022145415/http://www.zerain.com/francisco-de-goya,lista,57,famous-people-from-zerain,21,know-it,3|archive-date=22 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> earning his living as a [[gilding|gilder]], specialising in religious and decorative craftwork.<ref name="c67">Connell (2004), 6–7</ref> He oversaw the gilding and most of the ornamentation during the rebuilding of the [[Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar]] (''Santa Maria del Pilar''), the principal cathedral of Zaragoza. Francisco was their fourth child, following his sister Rita (b. 1737), brother Tomás (b. 1739) (who was to follow in his father's trade) and second sister Jacinta (b. 1743). There were two younger sons, Mariano (b. 1750) and Camilo (b. 1753).<ref name="h27">Hughes (2004), 27</ref>

His mother's family had pretensions of nobility and the house, a modest brick cottage, was owned by her family and, perhaps fancifully, bore their [[family crest|crest]].<ref name="c67" /> About 1749 José and Gracia bought a home in Zaragoza and were able to return to live in the city. Although there are no surviving records, it is thought that Goya may have attended the Escuelas Pías de San Antón, which offered free schooling. His education seems to have been adequate but not enlightening; he had reading, writing and numeracy, and some knowledge of the classics. According to [[Robert Hughes (critic)|Robert Hughes]] the artist "seems to have taken no more interest than a carpenter in philosophical or theological matters, and his views on painting ... were very down to earth: Goya was no theoretician."<ref name="h33">Hughes (2004), 33</ref> At school he formed a close and lifelong friendship with fellow pupil [[Martín Zapater]]; the 131 letters Goya wrote to him from 1775 until Zapater's death in 1803 give valuable insight into Goya's early years at the court in Madrid.<ref name="h32" /><ref>"[https://www.museodelprado.es/aprende/enciclopedia/voz/cartas-de-goya-a-martin-zapater/2ab3aedb-07a9-4031-b6e0-64d9806ac8b5 Cartas de Goya a Martín Zapater]. Museo del Prado. Retrieved 13 December 2015</ref>