The Hanged Monk
Historical Context
The Hanged Monk from around 1810, painted during the Peninsular War, depicts the violence inflicted on the Spanish clergy during the French occupation — a grim subject that reflected Goya's direct witness to the horrors of war. The Peninsular War (1808-1814) was one of the most brutal conflicts in European history, characterized by guerrilla violence, reprisals, and the systematic murder of both soldiers and civilians. Goya documented these horrors in his Disasters of War prints and in small panel paintings like this one, which combine the observational precision of reportage with an emotional intensity that makes them among the most powerful anti-war images in Western art.
Technical Analysis
Goya's technique is austere and direct, with the dark palette and minimal composition focusing attention on the horrifying subject. The figure is rendered with bold, summary brushwork against a stark background, creating an image of shocking directness. The restrained palette intensifies the painting's emotional impact.
Provenance
One of a series of six small paintings in an inventory of Goya’s collection, Madrid, taken in 1812 for the division of property between the artist and his son Javier following the death of the artist’s wife; the group of small paintings marked X9 being allotted to the son: “Otros seis de varios asuntos con el no neuve, en 800 reales” [see Gassier and Wilson 1971, pp. 251, 254]; presumably Javier Goya, after 1812. Possibly the Marques de la Romana, Madrid [according to Vienna 1908, the painting was formerly in the Romana collection]. Laurent Laperlier (died 1878); sold, 19 February 1879, Hotel Drouot, Paris, lot 20. Serre Dupuch, Bordeaux [according to Desparmet Fitz-Gerald 1928-51]. Desparmet Fitz-Gerald, Paris [according to Desparmet Fitz-Gerald 1928-51]. Miethke Gallery, Vienna, by 1908 [according to Vienna 1908]; sold to Baron Adolf Kohner, Budapest [see Collection Baron Adolphe Kohner, Ernst-Múzeum, Budapest, 1934]; Sale, Ernst-Múzeum, Budapest, 1934, lot 45 (ill.). Édouard Napoléon César Edmond Mortier, duc de Trévise (died 1946), Paris [based on note on the accession card]. Knoedler & Co., New York, stock no. A 1717, by 1936; sold the Art Institute, 1936.
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