the jersey devil

La filiacion, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, 1797-1798, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Prints and Drawings

binding: mottled calf, gilt tooled with a green panel on spine lettered: CAPRICH DE GOYA; endpapers: contemporary Spanish marbled papers Francisco Goya’s series Los Caprichos contains layers of meaning that even today challenge the modern viewer. Mia’s copy is a rare presentation proof containing early printings of all eighty images. In the first half, Goya explored themes of superstition, sensuality, greed, and violence with scenes set in Spanish brothels, salons, and prisons. The second half is given over to fantastic images from the artist’s dreams and nightmares. Even though Goya tried to disguise his attacks on Spanish society, he withdrew the set from sale because he had been reported to the Inquisition, a tribunal that ruled with lethal authority. Size: 8 ½ x 6 in. (21.59 x 15.24 cm) (plate) Medium: Etching and aquatint

Oh, to remain in a gothic cathedral with secret passages, far away from civilization and surrounded by a lush forest dwelled by eldritch creatures, shrouded in a spellbinding mystery.