Plate 13: four street vendors from Madrid selling muscat grapes, plums, pans and pop-up saints, from 'Los Gritos de Madrid' (The Cries of Madrid)
Medium
Engraving with hand coloring
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 13/16 × 7 7/8 in. (30 × 20 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
A. Hyatt Mayor Purchase Fund, Marjorie Phelps Starr Bequest, 2022
Accession Number
2022.65
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This engaging print, Plate 13 from the series *Los Gritos Madrid* (The Cries of Madrid), captures four street vendors hawking muscat grapes, plums, pans, and pop-up saints. Created between 1809 and 1817 by Miguel Gamborino and published by Madrid’s Imprenta Real, the image belongs to a tradition of “cries” prints that documented the lively calls and daily commerce of European cities. Such series offered viewers a vivid snapshot of urban life during a turbulent period marked by the Peninsular War and social change. The work is an engraving with delicate hand coloring, a technique that brought affordable yet colorful imagery to a broad audience. Measuring roughly 11 13/16 by 7 7/8 inches, the sheet balances lively detail with clear composition, allowing each vendor’s wares and distinctive cry to stand out. Today in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, it preserves the sounds and sights of early nineteenth-century Madrid while highlighting the important role of prints in recording popular culture.
About the Artist
Imprenta Real, Madrid|Miguel Gamborino (Spanish|Spanish) · 1760 | –1828 |
Spanish, Valencia 1760–1828 Madrid|