The Roma blacksmiths directly meet the viewer’s eye and pose as if in a tourist photo from Seville, Spain. Their lively, powerful body language differs greatly from the era’s picturesque genre images. They stand in sunlight, surrounded by the forge’s dark colours. Ernst Josephson, who began his stay in Spain at Madrid’s Prado Museum, was influenced by the expressive brush strokes and use of colour by 17th-century artist Diego Velázquez.