Axial Commons Image Treasury
Brown etching of a sleeping man at a desk surrounded by bats, owls and winged creatures, with a cat at right and an inscription on the plate.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, Los Caprichos plate 43

A seated man rests his head on his arms, asleep at a desk while bats, owls, and winged creatures gather above and around him. A cat sits at the right, and an inscription in the lower plate reads 'El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.' The etching and aquatint is printed in warm brown tones on ivory paper.

Artist
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
Date
1797/99
Medium
Etching and aquatint on ivory laid paper
Source
Art Institute of Chicago
Size
843 × 1205 px
Download full size
Public domain · Art Institute of Chicago releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1799).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Art Institute of Chicago, is_public_domain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Art Institute of Chicago, Clarence Buckingham Collection

Night and Dreams18th century1790s1797etchingaquatintmonstersdreamspanish printmakingowlsleeping manbatslos caprichosgoya

More from Night and Dreams

Jesus Goes Up Alone onto a Mountain to PrayJesus Goes Up Alone onto a Mountain to PraySleep and his Half-brother DeathSleep and his Half-brother DeathThe Prince Enters the WoodThe Prince Enters the WoodThe King and His CourtThe King and His CourtThe Dreamer (La Rêveuse)The Dreamer (La Rêveuse)The Shepherd’s Dream, from ‘Paradise Lost’The Shepherd’s Dream, from ‘Paradise Lost’