They [set] Loose Dogs on the Bull
Artist
Francisco de Goya
(Spanish, 1746–1828)
Date1816
Mediumetching and aquatint on cream laid paper
Dimensionsplate: 24.6 × 35.4 cm (9 11/16 × 13 15/16 in.)
sheet: 32.2 × 44.3 cm (12 11/16 × 17 7/16 in.)
sheet: 32.2 × 44.3 cm (12 11/16 × 17 7/16 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineSarah C. Garver Fund
Object number1965.41
Label TextBull baiting was a common entertainment in ancient Egypt and Greece. The Romans brought the blood sport to Spain in the first century BCE. It survived across Europe through the Middle Ages and became especially popular in England during the reign of Queen Anne. There, specialized dogs were bred for a pastime popular both in the country and regularly performed in London. Here, Goya represents the horseman in historical costume to suggest the previous century. With their stocky bodies and short muzzles the dogs resemble the Old English Bulldog, now extinct.ProvenanceCraddock and Barnard, London, UKOn View
Not on viewFrancisco de Goya
1816