Volaverunt (They Have Flown)

Goya employed a layered approach: the etched lines define the overall composition, dry‑point adds a velvety, burr‑rich edge to the figures, and aquatint supplies soft, atmospheric shading. The use of laid paper contributes a subtle texture that interacts with the ink, enhancing the work’s tactile quality. This combination produces a contrast between crisp outlines and diffuse tonal areas, characteristic of Goya’s late‑eighteenth‑century experiments.

*Volaverunt* was produced during a prolific phase of Goya’s printmaking, shortly before his famous series of social and political commentaries. The print was issued as part of a limited set of illustrations that circulated among collectors and intellectuals of the time. Its ownership record traces back to early nineteenth‑century Spanish collections before entering museum holdings in the mid‑twentieth century.