Francisco Goya y Lucientes, Pintor (Self Portrait),

1799

Goya’s celebrated set of eighty numbered etchings, collectively entitled Los Caprichos, commented on the ironies, hypocrisies, and cruelties of Spanish society in his day. Goya initially published the Caprichos in book form in 1799, but he quickly withdrew the publication due to the inflammatory nature of the subject matter—and never reprinted the series in his lifetime. The self-portrait here was intended for use on the title page. He illustrated satirical parables based on daily life in the first half of the volume; the second half depicted nightmarish tales, with monstrous witches and demons spreading social corruption and moral degradation.