El sí pronuncian y la mano alargan al primero que llega - Francisco de Goya

A satirical etching from Goya's Los Caprichos series, critiquing the social pressures of arranged marriage in eighteenth-century Spain.

This etching and aquatint belongs to Los Caprichos, a series of eighty prints published by Francisco de Goya in 1799. The work, titled El sí pronuncian y la mano alargan al primero que llega (They say yes and give their hand to the first comer), functions as a social critique of arranged marriages and the transactional nature of courtship in late eighteenth-century Spain.

The composition features a young woman in a white gown, wearing a mask, who is being led or pressured into a union. She is surrounded by grotesque, caricatured figures who represent the societal forces pushing her toward this decision. Goya employs aquatint to create deep, atmospheric shadows, which contrast with the stark white of the woman's dress. This technique draws the eye to the central figure, isolating her within a crowd of shadowy, predatory observers.

Goya uses his mastery of line and tone to convey a sense of unease. The figures surrounding the woman possess exaggerated features, a hallmark of his approach to exposing human folly and moral decay. By placing the woman in a mask, Goya suggests a loss of identity and agency, as she conforms to the expectations of her social circle. The print is a direct observation of the customs of the time, stripped of sentimentality. It reflects the artist's critical view of the institutions and social behaviours that governed the lives of his contemporaries. The work remains a clear example of Goya's ability to blend technical precision with biting social commentary, providing a window into the tensions of his era.