1799
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
They Spin Finely, Plate 44 is a 1799 by Francisco Goya, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman bends over a spinning wheel, her face hidden in shadow. The room is dim, lit only by a small window. This is an early test print—what artists call a "trial proof." Goya used sepia ink instead of black, so the tones are softer, like a faded photograph. Later prints lost some of this subtle shading. The woman’s blouse and skin almost blend together, showing how light and shadow play tricks. Look up *sfumato*—a technique that blurs edges like this, used by artists before Goya.
Francisco de Goya creatively engaged with printmaking, producing bold and innovative compositions. This impression is a rare trial proof printed in sepia ink before publication of the series Los Caprichos , whose title translates as “caprices” or “artistic fantasies.” As one of the earliest sheets printed from the plate, it retains Goya’s subtle layers of tonal aquatint absent in later impressions. Note, for example, the slight shift in tone between the pale skin and white blouse of the woman in the foreground whose spinning, a common euphemism for sex work, is likely the subject of the…
Francisco de Goya gave each of the prints in Los Caprichos , including this one, intentionally cryptic titles.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; Spanish: ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker.
See the richer artist page
