Tantalus (Tantalo), plate 9 from "Los Caprichos"

In the pictureThe huge sloping edge of a pyramid runs from the upper right to the lower left, and in front of it a man sits on a heap of stones. He covers his face with both hands in anguish, and across his lap lies a young woman in white, eyes closed, slumped backward. One of her arms falls limply toward the ground, and her long hair hangs down. On the horizon at the far right a small tree can be seen. The whole plate is in pale gray aquatint, brighter than the other plates in the series, with "9." engraved at the upper right and "Tantalo." below.

BackgroundIn Greek myth, Tantalus was punished by never being able to eat or drink the fruit and water before his eyes. Goya applied the name to a man who holds a young woman in his arms yet can do nothing, and the plate is often read as a satire on a powerless old husband with a young wife. It is one of the satires on marriage and relations between men and women gathered in the early part of Los Caprichos. The technique is etching and burnished aquatint, with no burin, and the plate measures 20.8 × 15 cm. Like plates 12 and 17, it came as a gift of Walter E. Sachs in 1916.

Puzzle tipThis plate has wide gray areas rather than a black background, so solve it by shape. Fit the woman's white dress and face, the man's dark vest and the two hands covering his face first, then join the long diagonal of the pyramid's edge to set the direction of the background. On the pyramid wall at the upper left, horizontal mortar lines are the clue. Set the plate border with the title lettering below and the number above, and finish with the wide paper margin. 24 or 48 pieces is a good fit.