Caprichos: Hobgoblins (Duendecitos)
1799
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746-1828)
Not on View

This image is a thinly veiled attack on the corruption and decadence of the Spanish church. In this print, clergy are portrayed as grotesque hobgoblins, or mean-spirited angels who fell from heaven with Lucifer. They are shown gorging themselves on bread and wine. The central figure's sharp, jagged teeth and enormous hand refer to the powerful grip the church had on the country's wealth and its willingness to flaunt it.

Details

  • Artist Name: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746-1828)
  • Title: Caprichos: Hobgoblins (Duendecitos)
  • Date: 1799
  • Medium: Etching, burnished aquatint, drypoint, and burin with watercolor additions on laid paper
  • Edition: 1st edition
  • Dimensions: sheet: 11 5/16 x 8 1/16 in. (28.73 x 20.48 cm); plate: 8 7/16 x 5 7/8 in. (21.43 x 14.92 cm)
  • Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
  • Accession Number: F.1969.04.49.G
  • Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation

Object Information

(Sale, New York, Sotheby’s, 7 May 1969, lot 67, to);
[Robert M. Light, Boston, sold 20 May 1969, to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.

Investigating Goya's Etchings: Selections from Goya's Los Caprichos

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2000-03-24 to 2000-07-31

Francisco de Goya's 'Los Caprichos'

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1987-02-19 to 1987-07-19
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 627 p. 320
  • Juliet Wilson-Bareau, Goya in the Norton Simon Museum, 2016, cat. 41 p. 263
  • Helmut C. Jacobs and Nina Preyer, Los Caprichos de Goya en grabados coloreados del siglo XIX, 2023, NS-C.49 pp. 441-449, p. 443 (ill.)

Additional Artwork by Artist

Copies after Velázquez: Isabel de Borbón Francisco de Goya y Lucientes 1778-79
Copies after Velázquez: Un infante de España (Infante Don Fernando) Francisco de Goya y Lucientes c. 1778-79
Desastres de la Guerra Francisco de Goya y Lucientes c. 1810-15

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