Plate 27 from "La Tauromaquia": The celebrated picador, Fernando del Toro, draws the fierce beast on with his pike

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) Spanish

1816

Not on view

Unaware of the danger, a blindfolded horse is trapped to keep it from fleeing in panic. The animal’s defenselessness is emphasized by the light area on its chest, suggesting a stationary target. The gaze of the picador prepares the viewer for the violence about to be unleashed, while the dramatic resolution of the clash is prefigured at left by another horse rearing in fright and a dead animal ready to be dragged away. In their apparent disinterest, the two spectral figures in the background imply the routine nature of death in rituals of bullfighting.

Artwork Details

Title: Plate 27 from "La Tauromaquia": The celebrated picador, Fernando del Toro, draws the fierce beast on with his pike
Series/Portfolio: La Tauromaquia
Artist: Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, Fuendetodos 1746–1828 Bordeaux)
Date: 1816
Medium: Etching, aquatint, drypoint
Dimensions: Plate: 9 5/8 × 13 3/4 in. (24.4 × 34.9 cm)
Sheet: 12 1/16 × 17 3/16 in. (30.6 × 43.7 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1921
Object Number: 21.19.27
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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