Men hunting; page 105 from the 'Images of Spain' album (F)

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

ca. 1812–20 · Brush, brown and gray washes, traces of black chalk on laid paper · Drawings and Prints

The present drawing records the traditional setup for decoy hunting. Owls, either taxidermied or alive, were strategically positioned during daytime to attract hostile birds. The hunter would then shoot the descending birds or catch them with a net or snare—the maneuver the figure on the right is about to perform. Here, the hunters wait behind a bush as a flock of birds approaches the owl. Goya initially considered including a third man or arranging them differently, as the faint black chalk outline of a figure in the background reveals.

Artist

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

Date

ca. 1812–20

Medium

Brush, brown and gray washes, traces of black chalk on laid paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1935