Old wisdom blinking at the stars [graphic].

"Design in an oval. Dr. Johnson, the head in profile to the right, with an owl's body and ass's ears, stands on two books, the lower his 'Dictionary', the upper his 'Lives of the Poets'. The busts of poets stand on brackets (right) above Johnson's head, each is irradiated with a star-shaped halo. They are "Pope", "Milton", a third head wearing a laurel wreath, the inscription concealed by Johnson's head; a fourth halo (left) is visible. These are "the stars" at which Johnson is blinking, but, though screwing up his eyes short-sightedly, he is not looking at them. The back wall, at right angles to the wall on which the busts are placed, is covered with bookshelves, in which folio volumes lean against one another. An open book lying beside the 'Dictionary' is 'Beauties of Johnson'."--British Museum online catalogue.