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Primary sourcePainting1796-1798

Three Witches Spinning with Bound Babies

Francisco Goya y Lucientes · 1796-1798

A Goya etching from his Caprichos series showing three gaunt women spinning thread while dead infants hang behind them, mocking superstition.

Goya etched and captioned this plate himself as part of his Caprichos series criticising superstition.

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Etching of three gaunt, old women spinning thread in a dim room. The central figure, with hair in a bun, works a spindle held in her hands. Behind them, bundled infant bodies hang from hooks on the wall. The inscription 'Hilar delgado' appears at the bottom, and the plate number 44 is at the top right.
Francisco Goya, Caprichos plate 44, 'Hilan delgado', 1796–1798. Wellcome Collection.

About this source

What it is

This etching, captioned Hilan delgado, is plate 44 from the Caprichos, a series made by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya between 1796 and 1798. It shows three old women spinning thread, with the bodies of infants hanging from hooks behind them. It is now held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

The Caprichos were Goya's biting commentary on the follies, superstitions and cruelties he saw in Spanish society. This plate is one of several in the series that use witches and fantastical figures to criticise belief in magic and the harm it could cause. It reveals Goya not just as a court painter but as a sharp social critic working in print.

Look closer

  • What mood does the dim, shadowy setting create?
  • Why might Goya have chosen spinning witches and infant bodies to make his point?
  • What does the printed caption add to the image's meaning?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francisco Goya on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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