Disparate femenino (trial proof) (Feminine Folly)

This rare trial proof demonstrates Goya’s intention of rendering the flat areas of aquatint tone in a light, lively, and differentiated manner. These areas provide the perfect foil for the intricate details executed in line etching. However, when the published edition was produced half a century later, the printers, evidently unfamiliar with the finesse of Goya’s trial proofs, inked the plate heavily and evenly with thick brownish printing ink to achieve a painterly effect of darkness. (TD 2024, translation Büro LS Anderson, Berlin)