Boy Scared by a Man (Muchacho espantado por un hombre)

For the artistic and technical analysis of the complete series, see Maja and Celestina.

On the right-hand side of the composition we see the profile of a boy's head, with blond curly hair, his mouth open in fright at the vision before him. What he is looking at could be a man but appears more like a ghostly apparition, since the figure's face is almost completely blurred, as if it were utterly deformed, or covered by a horrible mask.

In this miniature the influence of the Black Paintings is especially evident, even more so than in the rest of the ivory pieces.

Rita de Angelis mentions another, similar piece entitled Two Heads (p. 136, cat. 686), which has the same subject matter and composition. As Angelis says, they are clearly not the same work, meaning that this imagery was therefore reproduced independently. She does not however provide any additional information about the other work's authenticity or whereabouts.