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Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

A Heroic Feat! With Dead Men!, plate 39 from The Disasters of War

1812/15, published 1863
Etching, lavis and drypoint on ivory wove paper with gilt edges
13.8 × 18.7 cm (5.4 × 7.4 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

This harrowing image mocks any notion of the possibility of heroic or admirable consequences of war. Yet much later, Vargi Aivazian of the TASS Window studio turned horror into humor by using this very image as inspiration for his sardonic TASS 634, Holiday Tree Ornaments .

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