How does Truth, Time and History elucidate its Preliminary work?
Goya made a related, rough oil sketch between 1797 and 1799 (or, by some accounts, in 1804). In this version, the winged Time holds a nude Truth by the hand, while threatening bats and owls lurk above them. The sketch is in the collection of Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. No owls or bats appear in the final version of the painting, nor were they painted over.Another red chalk and wash sketch of the same allegorical figures of Time and Truth in slightly different positions, escaping from dark owls at the lower left hand corner of the sketch, is in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.  It has been confirmed that Goya created this sketch to prepare for Los Caprichos. However, it may also be associated with Truth, Time, and History. Martin S. Soria references this sketch as evidence that Goya did not initially include History in his plans for the painting.The drawing appears in a small sketchbook that Goya owned and began working on while in Italy; the sketchbook is now located in the Prado, Madrid.
Prado Museum Madrid, Spain Los Caprichos Boston left allegorical Spain Museum of Fine Arts Madrid