Etching on laid paper
Spain, 1814-15
Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) – Spanish painter and graphic artist
Titled lower center in the plate ‘Contra el bien general’
Inscribed upper left in the plate ‘71’
Sheet 71 from the series ‘Deastres de la guerra’
Catalog raisonné; Delteil 190; Harris 191
Plate dimensions: 17.6 x 21.5 cm
Good condition
A sheet from the famous series by the Spanish artist, in which he addresses the atrocities of war; the auction record for a complete set of ‘Desastres de la Guerra’ is currently set at €112,000

Under the impression of the Spanish guerrilla war against Napoleon Francisco de Goya created from 1810 to 1820 the eighty etchings that omprise the well-known series ‘Desastres de la guerra’ (The Disasters of War). Without taking sides, he describes relentlessly and forcefully the atrocities and crimes against humanityr. The series was first published in 1863. In 1892, 1903 and 1906 followed further editions.

The etching is titled lower center in the plate ‘Contra el bien general’ (Against the common good), and inscribed upper left in the plate ‘71’. The condition is age-appropriate good with a small backed tear (1.8 cm) in the upper right corner and occasional small foxmarks. The plate measures 17.6 x 21.5 cm, the sheet 24.7 x 33.7 cm.

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828)

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was an Aragonese Spanish painter and printmaker. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown and a chronicler of history. He has been regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and as the first of the moderns. The subversive and subjective element in his art, as well as his bold handling of paint, provided a model for the work of later generations of artists, notably Manet and Picasso. (fea)

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