The word 'PVGA' was inscribed on the back of the original canvas, now relined. According to E. Young (op. cit., p. 51), this is not likely to be a signature but could date from the 17th century and is a strong point in favor of the attribution. Almost nothing was known of Puga following his death and he seems to have fallen into relative obscurity. As such it is unlikely that anyone coming into possession of the painting without knowledge of its authorship or origin, would have ascribed the painting to Puga, rather than to a more popular or important painter. Thus, it is more likely that the inscription on the back was put there during or soon after Puga's lifetime by someone in the position to know the correct authorship.

M.L. Caturla, (Un pintor gallego en al corte de Felipe IV: Antonio Puga, 1952, pp. 32, 46) cites a Magdalene that is listed in the inventory of Puga's possessions taken the day after his death, and also is listed in the valuation made three days after the inventory, of which the dimensions are very close to those of the present lot (E. Young, Ibid).

B. Fredericksen (op. cit. p. 56) has noted that this is only the third female nude in Spanish painting to come to light, due to the severe restrictions of the Spanish Inquisition; the other two being Velasquez's Venus with a Mirror (National Gallery, London) and Alonso Cano's Christ in Limbo (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Of these, Puga's is the only unabashedly frontal nude who, in addition, directly confronts the viewer