Francisco de Goya’s etching (with aquatint and drypoint), “El Famoso Moro Gazul”, 1816

Francisco de Goya (aka Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes) (1746–1828)

“El Famoso Moro Gazul” (aka “El animoso Moro Gazul es el primero que lanceó toros en regla” [The spirited Moor Gazul is the first to spear bulls according to the rules]; “Otro capeo de Toros, hecho por los Moros en plaza” [The Moor Makes a Different Play in the Ring]), 1816, plate 5 from the series that was initially of 33 plates in the first edition, but afterwards expanded to 40 plates, “La Tauromaquia” (Wikipedia showcases all the prints from this series online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Tauromaquia).

Etching, burnished aquatint and drypoint printed in a bluish-black ink on cream laid paper (Arches watermark) with full margins as published and backed with a support sheet.

Note that Goya has burnished the extra fine aquatint directly behind the Gazul on horseback and the bull so that the plate is almost clear of aquatint to create a soft halo of light around the action.

Interestingly, Eleanor A Sayre (1794) in “The Changing Image: Prints by Francisco Goya” (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) points out that in Goya’s later prints (such as this one), “…the designs have force and simplicity and what can best be described as a painterly manner of shading, not unlike the brush strokes on the canvasses Goya was painting. The aquatint, light in these prints, and delicately burnished, is extraordinarily subtle and evocative” (p. 205).

Size: (sheet) 37.5 x 56.2 cm; (plate [soft]) 24.8 x 35.6 cm; (image borderline) 20.6 x 31.1 cm.

Numbered in plate outside the image borderline: (upper right) “5”.

Harris, 208 III (Tomás Harris 1983, “Goya: Engravings and Lithographs”, 2 vols., San Francisco, Alan Wofsy, p. 318, cat. no. 208 III).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Plate 5: Moor on horseback spearing bull; from an unbound album of first edition impressions. 1816
Etching, burnished aquatint and drypoint” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1862-0712-145)

See also the descriptions of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.42784 & http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.118022.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate with full margins as published and laid onto a sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There is a restored hole (almost invisible) above the image borderline at right of centre and a closed tear on the right margin edge, otherwise the sheet has no significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this original Goya etching (with aquatint and drypoint) for a total cost of AU$900 (currently US$660.62/EUR560.14/GBP478.09 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this genuine etching by Goya taken from the original plate with full margins as published, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold