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f - FRANCISCO JOSÉ DE GOYA Y LUCIENTES FUENDETODOS 1746 - 1828 BORDEAUX

PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR

LOS DESASTRES DE LA GUERRA (D.120-199; H.121-200)

LOS DESASTRES DE LA GUERRA (D.120-199; H.121-200)

overall size 250 by 345mm; 9 7/8 by 13 5/8 in

Etchings with aquatint, drypoint and engraving, 1810-1820, title, introduction and the set of 80 plates, from an early first edition of 1863, Harris's edition 1a before the correction of the title on plates 9, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39 and 47 (it is very rare to find the full number of uncorrected proofs bound in one volume), very fine impressions printed in sepia ink with considerable clarity and contrast, with the burr and the lavis still printing distinctly in many plates (from which it soon disappears), on firm wove paper (many with J.G.O. and Palmette watermark), with wide margins, pls 17 and 77 transposed in the binding, title-page slightly soiled, pl 38 with a printer's crease in lower margin, occasional foxmarks and traces of surface dirt, sheets otherwise in exceptionally fresh condition, half-vellum marbled boards, cloth spine with gilt-tooled, green morocco label

PROVENANCE

Formerly in the collection of Robert von Hirsch, Basel (his bookplate); with pencil inscription on end paper Sammlung Professor Hupka, Wien (partially erased)

NOTE

This spectacular series of plates is divided into three main groups: The Horror of the War inspired by events that Goya witnessed during the Peninsula War of 1804-1814; The Devastating Famine which took place in Madrid between 1811 and 1812; and The 'Caprichos Enfáticos' which alludes to the political, religious and ideological aspects of the war. In light of this historical and socio-economical context, it is hardly surprising that no contemporary edition of the Los Desastres de la Guerra was ever published. The circulation of plates revealing satirical and anti-clerical ideas would most probably have placed Goya in a critical and dangerous position. Furthermore, this set may not have been particularly appealing in a climate of insecurity, war and famine. As a result, the earliest impressions of the first edition were made in 1863, after Goya's death, in the workshop of Laurenciano Potenciano. The quality of these important works can be fully appreciated in the earliest impressions, of which this set is a magnificent example. (See Thomás Harris, Goya Engravings and Lithographs, London, 1964, vol. I, pp. 139-172).