Francisco Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son (1823) haunts viewers with raw, unhinged energy. Painted on the walls of his Madrid home, it transforms an ancient myth into a personal statement about fear, power, and time. This article unpacks the stories, symbols, and controversies behind one of art history’s most haunting works.
Artist: Francisco Goya ·
Year: 1819–1823 ·
Medium: Oil on plaster transferred to canvas ·
Dimensions: 143.5 cm × 81.4 cm ·
Location: Museo del Prado, Madrid ·
Series: Black Paintings (Pinturas negras)
Quick snapshot
1Confirmed facts
- Goya painted the work on the walls of his home between 1819 and 1823 (BJA Samuel art history site).
- It is one of 14 Black Paintings (Wikipedia art history entry).
- The painting was transferred to canvas after Goya’s death (MutualArt arts publication).
2What’s unclear
- The exact symbolic meaning is debated among art historians (Britannica reference resource).
- Goya’s specific mental illness is not definitively diagnosed (Artnet News art sector outlet).
- The original order of the Black Paintings in the Quinta del Sordo is not fully known (MutualArt arts publication).
3Timeline signal
- Painted 1819–1823 (Britannica reference resource).
- Originally on walls of Quinta del Sordo, transferred to canvas in the 1870s (MutualArt arts publication).
- Now housed in the Museo del Prado, Madrid (
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