Boys hunting with an owl

Boys Hunting with an Owl is a tapestry cartoon from 1775, among Goya's very first designs for the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Bárbara. The scene depicts boys using a tethered owl as a decoy to attract smaller birds — a traditional Spanish hunting method called caza con mochuelo. As one of his earliest royal commissions, the cartoon shows Goya still finding his way in the tapestry format, with a somewhat stiff compositional approach that would loosen considerably in later designs. The subject of children at play or hunting recurs throughout Goya's cartoons, providing opportunities to observe Spanish rural life. The painting dates from Goya's arrival period in Madrid, when his brother-in-law Francisco Bayeu helped secure him the factory position.

Goya renders the hunting scene with youthful energy and bright decorative color, using the interaction between boys, owl, and birds to create a lively narrative composition.