Gatesca pantomima

On a flight of steps, Goya has engraved a cat in profile with its head slightly turned towards the background, approached in flight by an owl that seems to be whispering something in its ear. Next to them, with a hood over his head, we see a kneeling figure prostrating himself at the cat's feet; we do not know whether he is begging for mercy or worshipping him. In the background of the scene, in the central part of the engraving, we can make out a crowd of people, of which we can only discern a figure in the foreground.

As in other engravings in the Emphatic Caprices, it is really difficult to grasp clearly the deeper meaning of the image, possibly because it contains a strong criticism. The cat, possibly a symbol of cunning, is in a prominent position in relation to the rest of the figures in the print and is flattered by a friar who could allude to the Church. He is also being advised by an owl, which is usually identified with ignorance. This is probably a veiled allusion to Ferdinand VII, who has the support of the Church and surrounds himself with dubious sycophants and advisors who are not noted for their fine intelligence, but rather for their submissiveness.

Nigel Glendinning believes that, as with many other prints in The Emphatic Caprices, Goya may have been inspired by Giambattista Casti's (Viterbo or Acquapendente, 1724-Paris, 1803) Gli animali parlanti (1801). In it the owl represents the priest or servant of the God of the animals, a hypocritical religious man, with a kindly exterior appearance but underneath which hides a cruel personality that fosters fanaticism. It is likely that this figure had to do with Ferdinand VII and the climate that prevailed during his reign.

For Dérozier, however, both this engraving and the one that follows it, no. 74, This is the Worst, are a clear allusion to the despotic manner in which Ferdinand VII ruled.