Who painted Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot)?

Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot) was painted by Francisco de Goya in 1799.

Where can I see Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot)?

Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot) is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot)?

Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot) is associated with Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot)?

Museum-quality prints of Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot) are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot)

Francisco de Goya , 1799

Si quebro el cantaro (Yes He Broke the Pot) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Francisco de Goya. It dates from 1799 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:recto: in plate, at upper left: 25.; in plate, below image at center: Si quebró el Cantaro.; verso: at lower right in graphite in later hand: FA; at bottom left in graphite in later hand: A95017
Markings: Marked:Lessing Julius Rosenwald (Lugt 1760b) and National Gallery of Art

About this work

Overview

Created in 1799, Sí quebró el cántaro is one of the prints that compose Francisco de Goya’s Los Caprichos series. Executed on laid paper, the work combines etching, aquatint and dry‑point to produce a compact, ink‑rich image that examines everyday folly through a sharply observed rural scene.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a kneeling peasant woman whose hands shield her face as a broken clay jar lies at her feet. Nearby, additional pots and scattered household items suggest a domestic setting. The title’s phrasing, “Yes He Broke the Pot,” shifts the focus from the woman’s grief to a broader commentary on blame and responsibility within communal life.

Technique & Style

Goya’s print merges three intaglio processes. Etching provides the precise linear framework, while aquatint supplies broad tonal washes that model the walls and background. Dry‑point adds a velvety, densely furrowed quality to the woman's features and the shattered fragments, enhancing the emotional intensity through varied line density and contrast.

History & Provenance

First issued as part of the 1799 Los Caprichos portfolio, the print circulated among Goya’s patrons and collectors of the period. Original impressions remain in several European institutions, having passed through private collections before entering museum holdings in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Context

The image reflects Goya’s engagement with Enlightenment criticism of superstition and social inertia. By portraying a commonplace domestic mishap, he aligns the scene with the series’ broader satirical aim: to expose the absurdities of Spanish life on the cusp of Romantic transformation, where traditional customs met emerging individualist critique.