Plate 4 from ‘Los Caprichos’: Nanny’s boy (El de la rollona)

Description

In Nanny’s boy, a grown figure behaves with the dependence of a child, bringing bodily maturity into an absurd relationship with helplessness. Francisco Goya’s Nanny’s Boy makes indulgence visible as a condition that has outlasted its proper time. The figure’s size intensifies the disparity between what the person appears capable of and what is demanded of others.

Plate 4 of Los Caprichos, published in 1799, turns habits of upbringing into a pointed social subject. Etching and burnished aquatint give the ungainly arrangement weight, making dependence feel physically burdensome. Goya’s satire concerns a failure to develop judgment and self-command rather than childhood itself. The scene is compelling because its exaggeration remains recognizable, suggesting how excessive protection can preserve immaturity long after an individual has acquired the outward appearance of adulthood.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Goya collection.