Francisco de Goya

Spanish knight kills a bull after losing his horse (preparatory drawing)

Clasificación
Spanish knight kills a bull after losing his horse (preparatory drawing)
Datos Generales
Cronología
Ca. 1814 - 1816
Ubicación
The Prado National Museum. Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Dimensiones
198 x 287 mm
Técnica y soporte
Sanguine on laid paper
Reconocimiento de la autoría de Goya
Documented work
Titular
El Prado National Museum
Ficha: realización/revisión
01 Oct 2021 / 22 Jun 2023
Inventario
D4294
Inscripciones

5 (in pencil; recto, lower right-hand corner)

Engraving [2nd support] (reverse, upper middle)

Watermark: GRIMAUD -- [G.S] (left half)

Historia

 See How the ancient Spaniards hunted bulls on horseback in the countryside.

Javier Goya, Madrid, 1828; Mariano Goya, Madrid, 1854; Valentín Carderera, Madrid, c. 1861; Mariano Carderera, Madrid, 1880; Prado Museum, 1886.

Análisis artístico

 See How the ancient Spaniards hunted bulls on horseback in the countryside. 

With this scene, a sketch of the print A Spanish knight kills a bull after having lost his horse, Goya begins a new series of themes related to the chivalrous origins of bullfighting. He depicts Christian knights of various periods feasting with bulls, and the contrast between human and animal figures is striking.

As Count La Viñaza said in 1887, the knights are characterised by their inappropriate dress.  In this respect, Lafuente Ferrari pointed out that this clothing was reminiscent of Velázquez's jester Don Juan de Austria. However, the forced poses do not add to the realism of the character.

As Matilla points out, when it comes to animals, especially horses, Goya shows a precise knowledge of their morphology. This sketch shows a knight and a bull, transferred quite faithfully to the print. In the background, the dead horse is shown behind its rider, while in the engraving the horse appears to be a spectator, lying on its back with its head held high. With one of its hind legs outstretched, it was clearly struggling to get up due to its injury. This is the most dramatic part of the scene, much more so than the theatrical death of the bull at the hands of the knight.

Using various compositional devices, the artist accentuates the elements that add tension to the image, such as the bull's horns forming a semi-circle, circumscribed by the hand of the knight wielding the sword. The horns and hands are tools of war between man and beast. He also suppresses spatial references and creates a focus of light on the horizon where the figures are cut out, according to Matilla.

Conservación

The work is attached to a second support, a sheet of laid paper, lined with pen, belonging to a French army record book in Spain.

Bibliografía
  • BOIX, Félix
    MadridMuseo del Prado
    1928
    n. 58
  • LAFUENTE FERRARI, Enrique
    1946
    pp. 185, 191
  • SÁNCHEZ CANTÓN. Francisco Javier
    MadridMuseo del Prado
    1954
    n. 158
  • LAFUENTE FERRARI, Enrique
    ParísLe Club Français du Livre
    1963
    p. 66
  • GASSIER, Pierre y WILSON, Juliet
    Vie et ouvre de Francisco de Goya
    ParísOffice du livre
    1970
    p. 277, nº 1166
  • LAFUENTE FERRARI, Enrique
    Barcelona
    1974
    pp. 6, 12
  • GASSIER, Pierre
    Dibujos de Goya, 2 vols
    BarcelonaNoguer
    1975
    pp. 346-347, nº 248
  • MATILLA, José Manuel y MEDRANO, José Miguel
    MadridMuseo Nacional del Prado
    2001
    pp. 54-55
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