Simpleton's folly

A large monster dances and plays castanets before a terrified man who hides behind a stiff, almost spectral being hidden under a shroud. The giant, of indeterminate sex, wears men's trousers and an unbuttoned blouse revealing a female-looking torso. Behind him, two ghostly heads appear, one with its mouth open in terror, the other as if petrified by terror.

The meaning of this print is enigmatic, as the name was not given by Goya but comes from a posthumous annotation on a copy from the mid-19th century, so perhaps the Aragonese artist's intention was different.

The man depicted is usually associated with a member of the clergy, as in the preparatory drawing, also entitled Simpleton's folly, he wears a kind of habit, and the rigidity of the figure he is holding is reminiscent of a statue or religious image. In the engraving he does not look so much like an ecclesiastic as an ecclesiastic, but he is wearing a kind of cloak over his head. One of the explanations that have been attempted for this print is related to religion and the Church, and even to the aristocracy, as in some proofs an additional figure appears. The castanets are a typically Spanish instrument, so that by wearing them, the giant could symbolise the uprising of the Spanish people against these oppressive classes. Hence the fear of the character hiding behind religion.

A relationship has also been seem with the tradition of Carnival, with the character of the fool, who when he was very old was called Bobalicon. In this case we would be faced with the confrontation of two practices, Lent and Carnival. 

A dark aquatint was applied to the light etching to create an abstract space in which the ground is barely distinguishable from the horizon line. Thanks to the burnisher, Goya achieved half-tones.He used drypoint on the heads at the back and touches of burin on the one on the right. The lighting is centred on the giantess to show her large wingspan.

The preparatory drawing for the present print, also entitled Simpleton's folly, has been preserved.