The Chastisement of Luxury
1817–70
Medium
Brush and dark brown wash with traces of red chalk
Dimensions
10-1/8 x 15-1/4 in. (25.7 x 38.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1942
Accession Number
42.186.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, where Eugenio Lucas's *The Chastisement of Luxury* (ca. 1817–70) captivates with its dramatic intensity. This intimate drawing, measuring just 10-1/8 x 15-1/4 inches, employs brush and dark brown wash heightened by traces of red chalk—a technique that builds moody shadows and subtle highlights, evoking the tenebrism of Spanish masters like Goya, whom Lucas emulated. The tag "Men" hints at a male-dominated scene, likely portraying a moral allegory where excess meets retribution. Lucas, a 19th-century Spanish Romantic p...