History is a witness when Time reveals the Truth. These concepts are symbolised by a woman writing, an elderly man with an hourglass, and a woman, who is usually naked. In Goya’s painting, the standing woman represents Spain as well as Truth. She holds a sceptre, and a book, the constitution Spain adopted in 1812 during its war against Napoleon. The twofold symbolism is designed to underscore the legitimacy of the new constitution.