“The Devout Profession” is an etching on paper by Francisco Goya, dating back to the year 1799. This artwork is part of the “Los Caprichos” series and it exemplifies the Romanticism movement. The dimensions of the artwork are 21.5 x 15.5 cm. Classified as a caricature, it resides in the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) in Paris, France.
The artwork features a surreal and unsettling composition, likely intended to convey a sense of irony or criticism. Two figures clad in robes, representing religious or ecclesiastical authority, are shown intensely engaged with an open book, their pointed hats and gnarled fingers suggesting a grotesque transformation into figures of vice or folly. Beneath them, a naked, muscular figure with an anguished expression is crouched over another figure lying on the ground, adding a palpable layer of distress and darkness to the scene. The stark contrasts and ominous overtones emphasize the critical lens through which Goya viewed certain social and religious practices of his time.
