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Of what ill will he die? (De que mal morira?) Caprichos 40
Of what ill will he die? (De que mal morira?) Caprichos 40
Public domain: Image courtesy of the Worcester Art Museum.

Of what ill will he die? (De que mal morira?) Caprichos 40

Artist (Spanish, 1746–1828)
Date1799
Mediumetching and aquatint on cream laid paper
Dimensions21.3 x 14.9 cm (plate), 30.9 x 21 cm (sheet)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineSarah C. Garver Fund
Object number1962.126
Label TextGoya’s eighty-etching suite Los Caprichos (Caprices) serves as a sweeping critique of the Roman Catholic Church, superstition, and wealth. Featuring an ass in the role of doctor, Of What Ill will he Die? questions the role of healers, namely the ignorant who harm rather than cure their patients. There is Plenty to Suck depicts elderly women preparing to drain the blood of babies, likely a denunciation of witchcraft. This is a rare impression of the etching because it lacks evidence of a scratch the plate sustained early in the printing process. Later impressions show an incised line between the nostril and chin of the background figure. ProvenanceCraddock and Barnard, London, UK
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