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Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

Strange Devotion!, plate 66 from The Disasters of War

1815/20, published 1863
Etching and burnished aquatint or lavis on ivory wove paper with gilt edges
15 × 19.4 cm (5.9 × 7.6 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

By depicting a skeleton in a glass coffin, possibly a reference to the Snow White fairy tale, Goya questioned the continued relevance of relics in the Roman Catholic faith. While the bowed heads of onlookers suggest that the box contains the body of an important saint, the donkey carrying it is one of Goya’s favorite embodiments of folly, underscoring the artist’s satirical intent.

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