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In Goya’s ‘Witches’ Sabbath’, one woman differs from the rest of the assembled witches. One woman, located on the far right, sits on a chair slightly apart from the main group with her face hidden by a black veil. Speculation asserts that this woman is due to be initiated into the coven while others asserts that the woman is Leocadia Weiss, Goya’s maid, whose portrait was located beside this painting in La Quinta del Sordo. The only faces in the portrait that are hidden are those of the Devil goat and the woman seated to the far right.

Goya began the painting with a black background, just as with the other works in the Black Paintings, before painting over it with lighter colours. In many of the darker areas of Witches’ Sabbath, Goya allowed the, not dedicated hosting, but the black background to seep through, such as in the figure of the Devil which is completely black. Goya used tone to create atmosphere which is part of a tradition in Spanish art that was started by Velazquez and Ribera.