Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes Otra locura suya en la misma plaza, an etching

Spain, etched AD 1815, first published 1816

‘Another madness of his in the same ring', plate 19 from the series Tauromaquia.

This print is from a set of 33 etchings known as the Tauromaquia ('The Art of Bullfighting'). The series covers the history of bullfighting, from its origins in the hunting of bulls by the ancient Spaniards, through the development of contests initiated during the Moorish occupation and perfected by the Christian nobility, until it became a popular sport in the eighteenth century.

Here we have a matador called Martincho preparing to leap from a table over the bull's back, with his legs in irons. The subject is identified from an inscription in the set presented to Goya's friend Ceán Bermúdez, which is now in The British Museum. There is a preparatory drawing with considerable variations in the Museo del Prado, Madrid.

J. Wilson-Bareau, Goyas prints (London, The British Museum Press, 1981, R 1996)

P. Gassier and J. Wilson, The life and complete works of (New York, 1971)