About this artwork
Plate 3 of The Caprices features a mother with her two children who are frightened by a blanketed figure of el coco (the bogeyman) in the foreground. The mother’s expression contrasts with those of her children: she smiles in gratitude and appreciation. Goya is criticizing the common practice of using fear to keep children well behaved. The print also contains a spelling error, as Goya spells viene, the Spanish verb for “to come,” incorrectly. This is a common mistake due to similarity in sounds between the Spanish b and v. He corrected it in later editions of the print.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
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Title
- Here Comes the Bogeyman, plate three from Los Caprichos
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Place
- Spain (Artist's nationality)
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Date
- 1797–1799
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Medium
- Etching and aquatint on ivory laid paper
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Dimensions
- Image: 19.3 × 13.6 cm (7 5/8 × 5 3/8 in.); Plate: 21.7 × 15.3 cm (8 9/16 × 6 1/16 in.); Sheet: 30.1 × 20.5 cm (11 7/8 × 8 1/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Clarence Buckingham Collection
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Reference Number
- 1948.110.3
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/123764/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
