Disparate: Una Reina del Circo, c. 1820, Francisco Jos? de Goya y Lucientes, Spanish, 1746¡V1828, 9 5/8 ¡Ñ 14 in. (24.45 ¡Ñ 35.56 cm) (plate), Etching and aquatint, France, 19th century, In this circus act, a woman balances on the back of a horse, which in turn balances on a slack rope. The Spanish expression, 'bailando en una cuerda floja' Dancing on a slack rope is similar to the English expression 'skating on thin ice.' We don¡¦t know if Goya had anyone specific in mind when he made this image of a precarious situation.