(left) Francisco de Goya (1746–1828), También Esto (This too) plate 43 from the series Los Desastres de la Guerra c.1808-1812, Etching and burnished aquatint in black ink, 8 1/2 x 12 5/8 in (218 x 320 mm), Museum purchase, Erna Bottigheimer Sands (Class of 1929) Art Acquisition 2017.93

(right) Francisco de Goya (1746–1828), También Esto (This too) working proof for plate 43 from the series Los Desastres de la Guerra c.1808-1812, Etching and burnished aquatint in black ink, 8 1/2 x 12 5/8 in (218 x 320 mm), Museum purchase, Erna Bottigheimer Sands (Class of 1929) Art Acquisition 2017.92

The Davis Museum recently acquired two versions of También Esto, plate 43 from Goya’s series Los Desastres de la Guerra: a working proof and a first edition print. The working proof gives insight into Goya’s process as a printmaker and how he approached developing a plate. The proof is primarily distinguished from the final print by a higher contrast in lights and darks, particularly around the main figure group and in the foreground, as well as the number 40 to identify the plate in the lower left corner. It does not yet have a border outline, the final plate number 43 or the central title También esto.  

The addition of the first edition print of También Esto, as well as the working proof for the print, will expand the Davis holdings of the Los Desastres de la Guerra series to thirty-one out of eighty-two. Incited and inspired by the conflict of the Peninsular War, Goya created Los Desastres between 1810 and 1820, but withheld the series from publication during his lifetime. The Real Academia de San Fernando in Madrid published the first edition in a run of 500 in 1863. It is exceedingly rare to have an impression pulled during Goya’s lifetime. The prints will allow for a more complete study of one of the most important print series of the 19th century and will be a vital tool for students of studio art and art history to further understand Goya’s process.