These illustrations belong to La Tauromaquia, a wider serial of paintings by Francisco de Goya. The author made the first works of this serial between 1814 and 1815 through diverse techniques. Its first edition was sold for the first time in October the 28th, 1816.

The forty pieces set is a recovery from the Madrid Fine Arts Circle (Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid) and was stamped by the National Tracing House. This is the sixth from the eight editions that have been made so far from the original sheets.

When the Independence War was over, Goya, as most of the artists from the same period, fell to desperation and showed the consequences of the war through Los Desastres (Disasters): cruelty, violence, uprooting and loneliness. For the last serial of illustrations, the painter chose a lighter subject to show, far from political connotations: the bulls.

La Tauromaquia de Goya presents special features. It is composed by a high number of scenes (thirty three) although all the others used to be much shorter. Goya also printed another seven scenes in the opposite side of the sheets, and those ones were never published. There are five more printings that were only tried, so that the whole serial would reach a number of forty five pieces.

The exhibition with a budget of 50.000 euros can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9.30am to 2.00pm and from 5.00pm to 7.00pm, and Sundays (including July the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th as festivities) from 11.00am to 2.00pm. The Museum will be closed every Monday and the 6th of July.