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Truth has died, plate 79 from The Disasters of War

A work made of etching and burnishing on ivory wove paper with gilt edges.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching and burnishing on ivory wove paper with gilt edges.

Date:

1815/20, published 1863

Artist:

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
Spanish, 1746-1828

About this artwork

Though not the last plate of the series, this print finalizes its central themes in a profound manner, claiming that truth itself is dead. Here, personified by a shining corpse about to be buried, truth connotes constitutional liberty. Justice is featured at the right, clasping her scales in her left hand. She covers her face, perhaps weeping, as if she cannot bear the scene before her. By ending the series on this note of despair, Francisco de Goya brought an answer to the question of what must come to pass (plate one)—the final blow of war is that truth is dead and justice despondent.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

Title

Truth has died, plate 79 from The Disasters of War

Place

Spain (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1815–1820

Medium

Etching and burnishing on ivory wove paper with gilt edges

Dimensions

Image: 14.5 × 18.2 cm (5 3/4 × 7 3/16 in.); Plate: 17 × 21.5 cm (6 3/4 × 8 1/2 in.); Sheet: 24 × 33.5 cm (9 1/2 × 13 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of J. C. Cebrian

Reference Number

1920.1384

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/124932/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.

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