The Little Goat (La capretta)
c. 1879
Medium
etching and aquatint on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 12.9 × 19 cm (5 1/16 × 7 1/2 in.) sheet: 24.4 × 17.6 cm (9 5/8 × 6 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Purchased as the Gift of Ann and Matthew Nimetz
Accession Number
2014.107.1
Art Historical Context
Domenico Morelli, a Neapolitan artist of the 19th century (1826–1901), was renowned for his dramatic history paintings and Romantic sensibilities, often infused with emotional depth and classical influences. *The Little Goat (La capretta)*, created around 1879, exemplifies his versatility in printmaking, likely translating a pastoral or genre scene into an intimate etching. This late-Romantic work captures the tender charm of rural life in post-unification Italy, where artists like Morelli celebrated everyday motifs amid broader cultural shifts toward Realism. The medium—etching and aquatint ...