1806
oil
panel
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Friar Pedro Wrests the Gun from El Maragato is a 1806 oil by Francisco Goya, a Romanticism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
A friar in a brown robe grabs a pistol from a wild-eyed bandit in a red jacket. The bandit’s other gun lies on the ground, and a donkey stands nearby. It’s a split-second moment—almost like a movie still. Goya painted this after reading about a real crime in 1806. A friar named Pedro tricked a dangerous thief named El Maragato and took his gun. Instead of a grand hero scene, Goya shows the messy, tense moment when the fight is still happening. If you like how Goya turns real-life drama into quick, vivid pictures, look up *impasto*—the thick, textured brushstrokes he used to make the scene feel alive.
In small, lively paintings made for his own pleasure or for a few discerning patrons, Francisco de Goya explored satirical and popular aspects of Spanish life. This series was inspired by a contemporary event, the capture of notorious criminal El Maragato by Friar Pedro de Saldivia in 1806. After escaping from prison, El Maragato spent two months stealing food, guns, and money before trying to take Friar Pedro and other innocent people hostage. The friar outsmarted the bandit, however, seizing his gun, shooting him in the thigh as he tried to flee, and finally tying him up. This story was…
One of a series of six small paintings in an inventory of Goya’s collection, Madrid, taken in 1812 for the division of property between the artist and his son Javier following the death of the artist's wife; the group of small paintings marked X8 being allotted to the son: "Seis quadros del Maragato señalados con el número ocho, en 700 [reales]" (the inventory mark has been removed from the painting and is no longer visible) [see Gassier and Wilson 1971]; presumably Javier Goya after 1812. Lafitte collection, Madrid; sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, March 7, 1861, bought in together with other…
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Spanish Painting, 1928, cat. 7–12, ill. The Art Institute of Chicago, Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, June 1–November 1, 1933, cat. 166-c. The Art Institute of Chicago, Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, June 1–November 1, 1934, cat. 69-c. M. Knoedler & Co., New York, Loan Exhibition of Paintings by Goya, April 9-April 21, 1934, cat. 19. Columbus, Ohio, Gallery of Fine Arts, Exhibition of Spanish Art, 1936. The Art Institute of Chicago, Goya, 1941, pp. 46–49, cat. 73 (ill.) The Toledo Museum of Art,…
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.
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