Plate 55 from ‘Los Caprichos’: Until death’ (Hasta la muerte.)

Description

In Until death, an elderly woman attends to her appearance before a mirror while companions observe her efforts. Francisco Goya’s Until Death makes the persistence of vanity visible through an intimate act of dressing and self-inspection. The mirror offers the figure a version of herself, while the people nearby introduce another, less flattering perspective.

Plate 55 of Los Caprichos, published in 1799, uses etching and burnished aquatint to distinguish the central figure from the surrounding gathering. The caption extends the desire for admiration across an entire lifetime. Goya’s humor depends on the difference between self-perception and what others see, but the image also acknowledges the stubborn human wish to remain attractive. Its energy lies in that uncomfortable meeting of age, theatrical display and the gaze of an audience.

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