A charlatan extracting a tooth from a patient's mouth, figure in the foreground vomiting; folio 68 (verso) from the Madrid Album "B"
Original title: A charlatan extracting a tooth from a patient's mouth, figure in the foreground vomiting; folio 68 (verso) from the Madrid Album "B"
kurzbeschreibung
A charlatan extracts a tooth from a seated patient while a figure in the foreground vomits. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes made this sheet between 1796 and 1798 using brush, brush point, scraper, and carbon black washes on paper. It belongs to the Madrid Album 'B', a series of sketches in which Goya recorded Spanish daily life.
Description
A tooth puller has one hand inside the mouth of a seated patient, who in turn holds his own hand before his mouth. In front, a person throws up; further back, onlookers sit. The arrangement is lively and draws the eye to the interaction between healer and patient. Black and white with graded grays, produced by brushstrokes and shading, defines the view.
Context
The sheet dates from Goya's Madrid period, when he engaged with everyday scenes and social ills. It belongs to the 'Madrid Album B', made between 1796 and 1798, which gathers sketches on medicine, superstition, and popular life. Goya returned repeatedly to the charlatanism of doctors and quacks — here too it is evident.
Impact
Immediate and almost grotesque, the drawing feels disturbing and ironic. That a medical procedure coincides with a vomiting figure creates a comic yet critical distance from the event. The restrained color heightens the dark, satirical mood.
Technique
With brush and brush point, as well as carbon black washes, Goya produced the gray tones. A scraper was used to bring out highlights and fine lines. In this way the sheet gains a sketchy, spontaneous quality.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)