Plate 31 from "Los Caprichos": She prays for her (Ruega por ella)
Original title: Plate 31 from "Los Caprichos": She prays for her (Ruega por ella)
kurzbeschreibung
Created in 1799 as number 31 of Francisco de Goya's 'Los Caprichos', this print presents three figures locked in a tight, opaque encounter. The etching, worked with aquatint, drypoint and burin, draws the viewer into a shadowy world where gesture and glance carry the weight of the scene.
Description
A woman sits on a low stool in the foreground, leaning forward, a bottle in her hand. Close beside her stands a second woman who bows her head and rests a hand on the seated woman's shoulder. To the right appears a third figure, wrapped in a white cloth that leaves only eyes and mouth visible; this one also holds a bottle. The dark ground pushes the bodies forward, while light from above falls on faces and hands. Engraved at the bottom of the plate is the title 'Ruega por ella'.
Context
This print belongs to the 'Caprichos', the series of 80 etchings published in 1799 with which Goya attacked the abuses and superstitions of his time in Spain. Number 31 is thought to depict a scene from the world of prostitution, a subject that recurs several times in the series. Goya worked on the Caprichos during the 1790s, after a severe illness had left him deaf in 1792.
Impact
The dark background and the balanced arrangement of the figures focus the gaze and create a stifling tension. Something enigmatic, almost uncanny, emanates from the veiled figure, unsettling the viewer and refusing to let go quickly.
Technique
The print was made using etching, burnished aquatint, drypoint and burin. Aquatint provides delicate gradations of grey and smooth transitions, while drypoint and burin add crisp lines and details. The plate measures 20.3 x 15 cm; the sheet is 29.5 x 20.9 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)