Francisco de Goya

FRANCISCO DE GOYA Y LUCIENTES (Fuendetodos, Zaragoza, 1746 - Bordeaux, France, 1828).
"Bien tirada está".
Etching on paper.
Engraving of one of the "Caprichos".
Edition of 1966 for the Bank of Spain.
It has a dry stamp in the lower right corner.
It presents a missing cam in the frame.
Measurements: 22 x 15 cm.(print); 27 x 20 cm.(paper); 45 x 39 x 3 cm.(frame).

In this print, belonging to the series of "Caprichos", Goya approaches the feminine prostitution and the celestinas by means of the representation of a young woman, who, either is preparing to receive someone or is preparing to go out to make the street, touches up the last details of her headdress, while the old woman continues indoctrinating her with her infamous advices. The anecdotal action of stretching the stocking, which provides a suitable motif to underline the narrative tone of the print, acquires in Goya's lively representation the mixture of sarcastic humor and sombre realism typical of picaresque literature.

It is known as "Los Caprichos", a series of eighty engravings with which Goya wanted to show a satire of the Spanish society of the time, especially with themes referring to the nobility and the clergy. They were made in a technique that combines etching, aquatint and drypoint, at the end of the 18th century, with a first edition in 1799. It was soon withdrawn for fear of the Inquisition, so it was only on sale for fourteen days.