Lot Essay
Tomás Harris considered the present Fourth Edition as superior to all but the First Edition. (Harris II, p. 434)
La Tauromaquia, created and assembled between 1814 and 1816, begins with illustrations of the origins and history of bullfighting, goes on to depict the principle manoeuvres and ends with the extraordinary acrobatic feats of Martincho, famous for his daring stunts, one of which involved him vaulting from a table over a bull with his feet shackled. Goya treats this event with his typically innovative style, relying less on etching and more on beautifully modulated aquatint to create remarkable spatial and formal effects. They are his technically most accomplished etchings and show the mastery he had gained through his experiments in the Desastres de la Guerra.
La Tauromaquia, created and assembled between 1814 and 1816, begins with illustrations of the origins and history of bullfighting, goes on to depict the principle manoeuvres and ends with the extraordinary acrobatic feats of Martincho, famous for his daring stunts, one of which involved him vaulting from a table over a bull with his feet shackled. Goya treats this event with his typically innovative style, relying less on etching and more on beautifully modulated aquatint to create remarkable spatial and formal effects. They are his technically most accomplished etchings and show the mastery he had gained through his experiments in the Desastres de la Guerra.