[The golden asses] [art original].Patch, Thomas, 1725-1782, artist[not after 1782]zxxThirty-seven men gather in a large room with a painted ceiling and a tessellated marble floor. They drink and converse in small groups. Some are seated at small tables. Servants provide coffee and punch. At the far right, the artist Thomas Patch, seated on the statue of a golden ass, holds a palette and painting stick. The front of the pedestal is inscribed: EREXIT| ANNO | [MD]CCLXI. A lengthy doggerel Italian verse is on the side. Seven canvases hang on the walls. From left to right they are an abbé, perhaps Anton maria Bisconi), Sir Henry Mainwaring, Lord Stamford, the Duke of Roxburghe Doune (later Earl of moray), the Rev. Johnathan Liyeatt, and on the right wall, a parody of a classical picture with Patch in Roman costume. Humorous statuettes represent the four continents. Some of the figures have been identified, including John Althorp, Duke of Roxburghe who is handing a letter to Horave Mann, Lord Cowper, Sir brooks Bridges and Charles Boothby. Other possible identities include Lord Grantham, Thomas Robinson, Lord Torrington and James White. At the center foreground a dog, perhaps Patch’s own, is seated on the floor with a collection of wine coolers and bottlesTitle from 2005 Christie's appraisal.Alternative title from Watson: A punch party.Inscribed on the front of the plinth: EREXIT/ANNO/[M]DCCLXI.