FRANCISCO DE GOYA Y LUCIENTES (1746-1828)

Le Descañona, plate 35 from: Los Caprichos

Details

FRANCISCO DE GOYA Y LUCIENTES (1746-1828)
Le Descañona, plate 35 from: Los Caprichos
etching with burnished aquatint
1797-98
on laid paper, without watermark
Harris' state I.2 (of three)
a brilliant, early working proof
extremely rare, possibly the earliest known impression of this plate, before the edition published by the artist in 1799 and before the printed title and plate number, these added in pen and brown ink by the hand of the artist
printing sharply, with bright highlights and considerable inky relief
trimmed inside the platemark but retaining a blank border outside the image
in good condition
Sheet 21,4 x 14,7 cm. (8 ½ x 5 ¾ in.)

Provenance

Dr. Josef Hupka (1875-1944), Vienna (without stamp and not in Lugt; according to Delteil & Harris).
Private Swiss Collection; Sotheby's, London, 11 December 1973, lot 48 (as part of a complete set of Caprichos which included six proofs in total.)
Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, 7 June 1978, lot 360.
Acquired at the above sale; then by descent to the present owners.

Literature

L. Delteil, Le peintre graveur illustré: Francisco Goya, Paris, 1922, no. 72 (this impression cited; another ill.).
T. Harris, Goya - Engravings and Lithographs - Catalogue raisonné, Oxford, 1964, no. 70, p. 107 (this impression cited; another ill.).

Exhibited

Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Verhext – Phantastische Graphik aus der Sammlung Hegewisch, November 1997 – March 1998 (no cat.).

Sale room notice

Please refer to Christie’s website for up-to-date provenance. This print was offered as part of a complete set of Caprichos at Sotheby’s, London, on 11 December 1973, lot 48. The set included six proofs, including the present one.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

Set in a barber shop or possibly a brothel, a dolled-up young woman is giving a young man a shave, as he looks up at her with naive desire. He is smitten, while she - as the title suggests - is only after his money. Le descañona, written here by the artist's hand and slightly misspelled (with the tilde on the second n), translates as 'She fleeces him'.
The present impression is probably unique and the earliest known example of this print, before the engraved title. This plate is known for the variety of aquatint tones, and the precise tonal definition on this brilliant sheet is astonishing.

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