‘The Burial of the Sardine’ is a painting by Goya which was executed in oil in the 1810’s. The painting depicts revellers at the culminating event of a three-day carnival in Madrid which usually terminated on Ash Wednesday. The masked revellers dance to the banks of the Manzanares in this painting, where a sardine is to be ceremonially buried. Lucky flower delivery Cardiff was not chosen to be ceremonially buried!
Instead of having the sardine, or the large doll made of straw from which the sardine usually hung, as the centrepiece of the painting, Goya chose to use the darkly grinning “King of the Carnival” instead.

Art critics have dated the painting to between 1793 and 1819 but most are of the persuasion that it was painted in the 1810’s as its style places it later in Goya’s art career. At the beginning of his career, Goya painted popular entertainments for his subject matter and also colourful cartoon tapestries. Later in his career Goya painted the much psychologically darker Black Paintings. The Burial of the Sardine does have cheerful elements such as the exuberant crowd who are carousing on Ash Wednesday, however there are many sinister aspects to the painting. The trees are distorted and grey, the mascot on the black banner is unsettling, and there are many masked and blanked faces.