Plate 15 from 'Los Caprichos': A pretty piece of advice (Bellos consejos)

Art Historical Context

Francisco de Goya y Luc, a pioneering Spanish artist bridging Enlightenment rationalism and Romanticism, created *Plate 15 from 'Los Caprichos': pretty piece of advice (Bellos consejos)* in 1799. This etching is part of his groundbreaking series of 80 prints, self-published amid Spain's turbulent late 18th-century society, rife with superstition, clerical influence, and social follies. Goya used these "caprices" to satirize human vices through dark humor and surreal imagery, withdrawing the edition shortly after release due to controversy. The title's ironic tone—"a pretty piece of advice"—hints at Goya's critique of misguided counsel, likely depicted through women in a domestic setting, as suggested by tags like "Women" and "Chairs." Seated figures evoke intimate, everyday conversations turned absurd, underscoring themes of folly and gender roles in aristocratic Spain. Goya's virtuoso technique elevates the work: etching for precise lines, burnished aquatint for velvety tones and subtle highlights, and burin for intricate details. Measuring about 8½ × 6 inches on the plate, this intimate print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection (gift of Walter E. Sachs, 1916) exemplifies how Goya revolutionized printmaking, blending technical innovation with biting social commentary for enduring cultural impact.

About the Artist

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) · 1746–1828

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) was a Spanish painter and printmaker considered the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Rising from modest provincial origins to become First Court Painter to Charles IV, Goya's career spanned the Enlightenment's optimism and the brutal Napoleonic invasion that shattered it. A mysterious illness in 1793 left him permanently deaf and ...