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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis etching depicts two withered figures huddled together, one holding a tiny doll or effigy while the other watches intently. A basket filled with similar small, doll-like objects sits at their feet, and three bats are depicted in the dark space behind them. The scene is rendered in muted, somber tones with a heavy emphasis on shadow.
This work explores the 'Caprichos' series' thematic preoccupation with the irrational, superstition, and the subversion of Enlightenment reason. It intersects with the broader tradition of witchcraft iconography, symbolizing the corruption of natural order and the predatory nature of ignorance.
45 Mucho hay que chupar.
Translation
45 There is plenty to suck.
Malleus Maleficarum
The imagery of hags manipulating dolls aligns with early modern folkloric tropes regarding witchcraft and the ritual use of sympathetic magic to cause harm, a central focus of demonological texts.
Object
Etching, burnished aquatint
allegory
Digital Source
Unknown · Public domain
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 15, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.