Motherly Advice – 15

15 – Bellos consejos (Good advice)

The print shows a young woman seated on a chair with a spread fan held in her right hand. An older woman (presumably her mother) sits beside her, in such a way that she seems to be talking. The title of the print is meant to be ironic: Goya’s notes make it clear the mother is persuading her daughter to become a prostitute.

Goya writes, ‘Advice is only as good as the person who gives it. Mothers often act as procuresses for their own daughters, causing them to choose certain ill-advised paths. The worst thing is that the young woman often follows this advice to the letter. Pity the man who draws too close, or who assumes responsibility for her!’