Collection Online as of April 2, 2023
The Proverbs: Two Heads are Better than One or Poor Folly
Francisco de Goya
(Spanish, 1746–1828)
Etching, aquatint, drypoint and engraving
Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund 1996.7
Catalogue raisonné: Harris 258; Perez Sanchez and Gallego p. 186 no. 11
State: II (trial proof)
Location
not on view
Description
The Proverbs are a group of 22 prints that are among the most powerful, original, and enigmatic of Goya's etchings. Although many of the scenes can be identified with proverbs, it is hard to judge the political, religious, or social connotations of these works. Many of the prints represent carnival themes, which Goya may have used as an allegory to express ideas concerning the state of Spain and his personal life.