Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

Although none of the plates are dated, Los Proverbios is generally believed to be the last set of etchings Goya worked on. It seems that Goya did not intend for these to be published as no contemporary edition was made. The eighteen plates were posthumously ordered for this first edition, and later four additional plates were discovered and published in 1877 by the French periodical L’Art.

This curious folio gained the title Los Proverbios as it was thought to illustrate various proverbs. These are difficult to recognise today, which could be due to Goya’s likely use of contemporary social, religious or political significances that now obscure their teachings. However, several artist’s proofs have been discovered which bear inscriptions, seemingly in Goya’s hand, identifying them as different ‘disparates’. As such, the folio is also known by Los Disparates which is best translated as The Follies or The Absurdities. Each print is certainly bizarre and there has been no consensus regarding their intended meanings. Their resistance to being deciphered has led to suggestions that these are instead macabre visions caused by Goya’s troubled mental state, resulting in the third title Los Sueños (The Dreams).

Philip Hofer, author of the Dover Publication’s book of reproduction prints, has eloquently captured the beauty in Los Proverbios’ mystic stating: ‘in the end it would seem best to look at these prints without trying to discover any very specific meaning – to loosen one’s aesthetic emotions and to allow one’s unfettered imagination to revel in or be stirred by the train of thoughts and emotions the prints evoke.’ Goya’s rich use of drypoint to create inky night skies in these dramatic scenes produces velvety dreamscape atmospheres that are perfect for such contemplation.