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concept:era modern

Saturn Devouring His Son

Oil mural transferred to canvas (c.1819–1823) by Francisco Goya. One of the 'Black Paintings' (Pinturas Negras) painted directly on the plaster walls of Goya's Quinta del Sordo. Depicts the Titan Saturn consuming a human body with wild-eyed frenzy. Held at the Prado Museum, Madrid.

Scholarly Significance

Anchor Goya's late Black Paintings with Saturn Devouring His Son, one of the most disturbing images in Western art, painted directly on the walls of his house.

Notes

  • ·One of fourteen 'Black Paintings' painted directly on the interior walls of Goya's house, the Quinta del Sordo ('Villa of the Deaf Man'), near Madrid, c.1819–1823.
  • ·The paintings were not titled by Goya; the descriptive titles were assigned later.
  • ·After Goya's death (1828), the house passed through several owners. In 1874, Baron Frédéric-Émile d'Erlanger had the murals transferred from plaster to canvas.
  • ·D'Erlanger donated the Black Paintings to the Spanish state in 1881; they were transferred to the Prado.
  • ·The original mural showed a larger figure, possibly with a body below the waist; the current canvas is cropped.
  • ·The degree to which the paintings reflect intentional programme versus free private expression is debated.