A satirical etching from Goya's Los Caprichos series, depicting figures with chairs balanced on their heads as a critique of social vanity.

This work is plate 26 from Los Caprichos, a series of eighty prints published by Francisco de Goya in 1799. The series functions as a social critique, targeting the superstitions, ignorance, and moral failings prevalent in Spanish society during the late eighteenth century. In this specific composition, Goya depicts two women standing and sitting with chairs balanced precariously upon their heads. The title, Ya tienen asiento, translates to They already have a seat, a phrase that serves as a biting commentary on the vanity and lack of intellectual substance among the subjects.

Goya employs aquatint to create the soft, atmospheric grey tones that define the background, contrasting with the sharper, etched lines used to delineate the figures and the chairs. The expressions on the faces of the onlookers, who appear to be mocking the women, add a layer of narrative tension to the scene. The artist uses the medium of printmaking to disseminate these observations to a wider audience, moving away from the formal constraints of court painting to explore darker, more psychological themes. The figures are rendered with a degree of caricature, typical of Goya's approach in this series, where physical distortion often mirrors internal character flaws. The composition is balanced, yet the absurdity of the objects atop the heads creates a sense of unease. This print remains a clear example of Goya's ability to blend technical mastery with social observation, providing a window into the cultural anxieties of his era without relying on overt moralising. The work is a study in human folly, captured through the precise, economical use of line and tone.