Duendecitos (Hobgoblins), plate 49 from the first edition of Los Caprichos (Madrid, 1799)

In the 1600s, duendes (hobgoblins) were thought to be spirits that fell with Lucifer from heaven. Instead of going to hell, they lived in the world, where they frightened and tricked people and amassed untold treasures that they hid in underground lairs. By the late 1700s, Spanish intellectuals ridiculed the populace’s belief in duendes. The term was often used to refer to religious figures in satirical publications.

In a vaulted chamber, a priest wearing a cassock accompanies two duendes in monastic robes. Far from the prying eyes of the public, they have poured themselves large glasses of wine. The friar on the left, whose shoes indicate that he belongs to a less stringent (calced, or shod) order, openly enjoys his drink and even dips a piece of bread in it. On the right, a discalced (unshod) friar from a more rigorous order half-heartedly conceals his glass under his cloak, a complacent smile spread across his face. At center, the priest grins in anticipation of the tasty delights to come, revealing pointed teeth that create a visual pun on the Spanish saying “aguzar los dientes” (“to sharpen one’s teeth,” i.e. “to whet one’s appetite”).