"Catherine II, seated on the throne, eagerly receives the heads of Poles offered to her by a ferocious-looking officer. Three attendants advance behind him with baskets filled with heads of young women and children; the foremost kneels, holding out his basket, the next carries a basket on his shoulders; above it flies a demon. On the extreme right, on a pedestal, is the bust of Fox by Nollekens (see BMSat 7902), looking wryly over his right shoulder at the Empress. The officer, Suvóroff, holds out by the hair to the Empress three heads, one of which she touches with a finger. His sleeves are rolled up; in his left hand is a bunch of heads, under his left arm a long bloody sword and a document: 'Articles of Capitulation Warsaw'. On his short top-boots are enormous spurs. He says: "Thus my Royal Mistress have I fulfilled in the fullest extent your Tender Affectionate & Maternal Commission to those Deluded People of Poland, & have brought you the Pickings of Ten Thousand Heads tenderly detached from their deluded bodies the Day after Capitulation." The Empress answers: "My Dear General you have well Executed your Commission; but could not you prevail on any of the Polish Women to Poison their Husbands?" (An allusion to the murder of Peter III, cf. BMSat 8072.) To the demon she says: "Go my little Ariel & prepare our Altars for these pretty Sacrifices, we must have te Deum on the Occasion." The demon, a nude bat-winged creature, says: "Bravo this outdoes the Poison Scene." The Empress wears ermine-trimmed robes and holds a sceptre, but does not (as usual) wear a crown. Beside her (left) lies a bear, only the head and forepaws being visible."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed to plate mark on three sides., Later state with addition of letter 's' in 'heads' in Suvorov's speech balloon., Temporary local subject terms: Reference to the Battle of Warsaw, November 1794., Matted to 47 x 63 cm.; printmaker's and subjects' names printed on mat below image., and Printseller's stamp in lower right corner: S.W.F.
Publisher:
Pub. January 7, 1795, by S.W. Fores, N. 3 Piccadilly
Subject (Geographic):
Praga (Warsaw, Poland) and Russia
Subject (Name):
Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Suvorov, Aleksandr Vasilʹevich, kni︠a︡zʹ Italiĭskiĭ, 1730-1800, and Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806
"A confused design: in the centre the kings of England (left) and Prussia (right) sit together under a canopy; they turn their heads in profile, gazing intently at each other. Behind George III's chair a British sailor lounges, behind Frederick's a Prussian grenadier with a musket stands erect. Frederick holds the ends of two chains attached to the necks of the Habsburg eagle beneath the feet of the two kings; the two beaks of the bird hold a scroll inscribed 'Universal Monarchy'; with its claws it strikes fiercely at the prostrate bodies of a man and woman, evidently intended for inhabitants of the United Provinces. Beneath the bird is the word 'Austria'. On the sides of the canopy under which the kings sit are shields, one (left) inscribed 'Hanover Brunswick Hesse', the other (right), 'Saxony Deux Pont Mayence &c', representing German States under the control or influence of England and of Prussia. On the left and right of the two kings, as if supporters to an escutcheon, are whole length figures on a large scale of military officers; each holds the hilt of his sword, saying, "Whilst you agree I am ready". One (left) is the 'Reigg Duke of Brunswick', the other 'Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick'. In the lower right corner of the design a Frenchman wearing a bag-wig milks a cow inscribed 'Holland'; a dog barks at him angrily. Next the cow a man seated on the ground, probably intended for the Stadtholder, holds up his hands imploringly to the two kings, saying, "Pray protect me". Isolated figures round the two sides and upper edge of the design represent the other Powers of Europe: a crowned bear (left) inscribed 'Russia', couchant, looks greedily towards a much smaller bear inscribed 'Poland'. Russia says, "Tortur'd by Ambition - back'd by Brother Joseph"; Poland answers, "I am not muzzled". The bust of an oriental wearing a turban (Turkey) looks over its shoulder (across Poland) towards Russia, saying, "By the great Prophet thou art but a Woman". A crowned monkey with a sceptre and shield, representing Louis XVI, is seated on a globe inscribed 'Holland', saying, "Mundus vult decipi". Down the right side of the print are three crowned busts looking towards the two kings: Sardinia says, "You shall not Settle without me"; Spain says, "Oh. give me the Rock" (cf. BMSat 6025, &c), Portugal says, "Oh! buy my Wine" (an allusion to the preference to Portuguese wines, given by the Methuen treaty and threatened by the pending commercial treaty with France). On the left side Sweden says, "I am in the pay of France"; Denmark says, "I lay by at present"."--British museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from Grego and British Museum Catalogue., and Sheet trimmed within plate mark.
Publisher:
Pubd. Feby. 10th 1786 by S. Hedges No. 91 Cornhill
Subject (Name):
George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786, Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1721-1792, Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, 1735-1806, Louis XVI, King of France, 1754-1793, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, 1741-1790, Victor Amadeus II, King of Sardinia, 1726-1796, Maria I, Queen of Portugal, 1734-1816, Gustav III, King of Sweden, 1746-1792, Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway, 1749-1808, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, and Abdülhamid I, Sultan of the Turks, 1725-1789
Leaf 27. Caricatures drawn & etched by those celebrated artists Gillray, Rowlandson, Cruikshanks
Image Count:
1
Resource Type:
still image
Abstract:
"A confused design: in the centre the kings of England (left) and Prussia (right) sit together under a canopy; they turn their heads in profile, gazing intently at each other. Behind George III's chair a British sailor lounges, behind Frederick's a Prussian grenadier with a musket stands erect. Frederick holds the ends of two chains attached to the necks of the Habsburg eagle beneath the feet of the two kings; the two beaks of the bird hold a scroll inscribed 'Universal Monarchy'; with its claws it strikes fiercely at the prostrate bodies of a man and woman, evidently intended for inhabitants of the United Provinces. Beneath the bird is the word 'Austria'. On the sides of the canopy under which the kings sit are shields, one (left) inscribed 'Hanover Brunswick Hesse', the other (right), 'Saxony Deux Pont Mayence &c', representing German States under the control or influence of England and of Prussia. On the left and right of the two kings, as if supporters to an escutcheon, are whole length figures on a large scale of military officers; each holds the hilt of his sword, saying, "Whilst you agree I am ready". One (left) is the 'Reigg Duke of Brunswick', the other 'Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick'. In the lower right corner of the design a Frenchman wearing a bag-wig milks a cow inscribed 'Holland'; a dog barks at him angrily. Next the cow a man seated on the ground, probably intended for the Stadtholder, holds up his hands imploringly to the two kings, saying, "Pray protect me". Isolated figures round the two sides and upper edge of the design represent the other Powers of Europe: a crowned bear (left) inscribed 'Russia', couchant, looks greedily towards a much smaller bear inscribed 'Poland'. Russia says, "Tortur'd by Ambition - back'd by Brother Joseph"; Poland answers, "I am not muzzled". The bust of an oriental wearing a turban (Turkey) looks over its shoulder (across Poland) towards Russia, saying, "By the great Prophet thou art but a Woman". A crowned monkey with a sceptre and shield, representing Louis XVI, is seated on a globe inscribed 'Holland', saying, "Mundus vult decipi". Down the right side of the print are three crowned busts looking towards the two kings: Sardinia says, "You shall not Settle without me"; Spain says, "Oh. give me the Rock" (cf. British Museum Satires No. 6025, &c), Portugal says, "Oh! buy my Wine" (an allusion to the preference to Portuguese wines, given by the Methuen treaty and threatened by the pending commercial treaty with France). On the left side Sweden says, "I am in the pay of France"; Denmark says, "I lay by at present"."--British museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Attributed to Rowlandson in the British Museum catalogue., Restrike. For original issue of the plate, see no. 6917 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, v. 6., Plate from: Caricatures drawn & etched by those celebrated artists Gillray, Rowlandson, Cruikshanks, &c. [London] : [Field & Tuer], [ca. 1868?], Cf. Grego, J. Rowlandson the caricaturist, v. 1, pages 182-3., and On leaf 27 of: Caricatures drawn & etched by those celebrated artists Gillray, Rowlandson, Cruikshanks, &c.
Publisher:
Pubd. Feby. 10th, 1786, by S. Hedges No. 91 Cornhill and Field & Tuer
Subject (Name):
George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786, Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1721-1792, Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, 1735-1806, Louis XVI, King of France, 1754-1793, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, 1741-1790, Victor Amadeus II, King of Sardinia, 1726-1796, Maria I, Queen of Portugal, 1734-1816, Gustav III, King of Sweden, 1746-1792, Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway, 1749-1808, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, and Abdülhamid I, Sultan of the Turks, 1725-1789
"Pitt as Don Quixote (and Petruchio) bestrides a sorry rosinante, the white horse of Hanover, scarred and decrepit and apparently at the point of death. Behind him sits the King of Prussia. Holland, as Sancho Panza, on the animal's hind-quarters, clasps Prussia round the waist. The Sultan, on the extreme left, crouches behind the horse, kissing its tail. Pitt, who holds a whip, points a thin mail-clad hand arrogantly at Catherine of Russia (right), a stout woman who has sunk in terror to her knees, but is supported by the Emperor Leopold and by France, a grotesquely lean Frenchman of the old régime, wearing a cocked hat ornamented with fleur-de-lis. Pitt wears Mambrino's helmet (the barber's basin) surmounted by a crown and a feather. He says: ""Katharine, that cap of yours becomes you not; "Off with that bauble, 'tis my royal will." The 'cap' is a crescent in her hair, symbolizing her conquests from Turkey and, more especially, Oczakoff, the place in dispute. Pitt's horse (George III), says, weeping, "Heigho! to have myself thus rid to death, by a Boy & his playmates, merely to frighten an Old Woman - I wish I was back in Hanover to get myself a belly full". A holster on the animal's neck is inscribed 'G.R', but the 'G' has been struck out and replaced by 'P' (to indicate that Pitt has usurped the prerogative of the Crown, cf. BMSat 7479, &c). The King of Prussia, with his chin on Pitt's shoulder, glares fiercely; he holds a drawn sabre and says, "Blood & Dunder, I would give her one good Prussian stroking". Sancho Panza, a fat Dutchman, says, "I'm in a good humour to give her a dram of right Holland's". The crouching Turk cries obsequiously, "Amman! Amman! Anglois, Alia, Alia". Catherine is terrified, she turns away from Pitt exclaiming: ""I see my Lances are but straws; "My strength is weak, my weakness past compare; "And am asham'd, that Women are so simple "To offer War when they should kneel for Peace." France says, "O, by Gar! if Mirabeau was but 'live! Sacre Dieu." The Emperor, who is crowned, and wears a cloak on which is the Habsburg eagle, says, "Das is de devil, to give up all again". Beside Catherine is a sword tying across a plan of a fortress, Oczakow."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
What you will and Modern Quixote
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., Temporary local subject terms: Allusion to Don Quixote -- Horse of Hanover -- George III as the Horse of Hanover -- Weapons: sabre -- Horse whip -- Allusion to Oczakow -- Allusion to Triple Alliance (England, Prussia and Holland)., and Watermark: J Whatman.
Publisher:
Pubd. April 20th, 1791, by S.W. Fores, Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, 1747-1792, Frederick William II, King of Prussia, 1744-1797, Selim III, Sultan of the Turks, 1761-1808, and Pitt, William, 1759-1806
Title from item., Plate from: Westminster Magazine. London : Printed for W. Goldsmith, v. 2 (1774) , p. 416., Two lines of verse below image: Thy kingdom, Stanisl'us, is now at stake. To four such stomachs, 'tis a mere plumb cake., and Temporary local subject terms: Partitions of Poland: 1st partition, 1772.
Publisher:
publisher not identified
Subject (Name):
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, 1741-1790, Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Louis XV, King of France, 1710-1774, Stanisław II August, King of Poland, 1732-1798, and Abdul Hamid I, Sultan of the Turks, 1725-1789
"Pitt, very thin and elongated, poises on one toe on a tight-rope; he holds a long balancing-pole in both hands, on one end (left) sits the Sultan, on the other (right) Catherine II. The Turk, whose end of the pole is slightly the lower, clutches it desperately, saying, "My dear Billy, do help me to make another push, & I'll give you - half of my Seraglio". The fat Empress sits with her hands on her hips; she wears a crown, in her right hand is a sceptre, in her left a paper inscribed 'New Russian Conquests'. She says "Both Billy - the Flat, & yourself may do your worst you circumcised dog! get me down if you can! - I'll match you all, & swallow Thousands more!" Pitt stands with his head raised arrogantly in profile to the right; he says, "The old Hag cannot move me, & Seraglios cannot bribe me: - I have nothing to do with these matters - my Pole will always remain level - ". On the ground beneath the rope stands a dwarfish Sheridan (right) in profile to the left, grotesquely caricatured as a clown; he wears trousers and long sleeves which cover his hands and hang down. He says: "O! the Devil! the Devil! The Cow leaps over the Moon! And if I could once get up on the Rope, Lord! I'd fill my Pockets soon: - I mean, I would soon bring her down: fol der lol, fol der ol"."--British Museum online catalogue, description of an earlier state
Alternative Title:
Posterity of the immortal Chatham turned posture master
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from description of earlier state in the British Museum catalogue., Reissue, with added plate numbering. Cf. No. 7846 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, v. 6., Date of printing based on that of Bohn's Suppressed plates., Plate probably from: Bohn, ii, 8, Suppressed plates., Text following title: Vide Sherridans speech., Sheet trimmed to plate mark, and the number "8" has likely been erased from sheet., and Temporary local subject terms: Circus performances: walking on rope -- Allusion to Russian conquests -- Clowns -- Allusion to Sheridan's speech in the House of Commons, 15 April, 1791 -- Allusion to William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, 1708-1778.
Publisher:
Publishd. April 21st, 1791, by H. Humphrey, N. 18 Old Bond St.
Subject (Name):
Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Selim III, Sultan of the Turks, 1761-1808, Pitt, William, 1759-1806, and Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816
Title from item., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., and Temporary local subject terms: Personifications: young woman as the Genius of France -- Asses -- Scourges -- Caps: Phrygian cap.
Publisher:
Pub. Decbr. 21, 1792, by S.W. Fores, No. 3 Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
Louis XVI, King of France, 1754-1793, Frederick William II, King of Prussia, 1744-1797, Francis I, Emperor of Austria, 1768-1835, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Gustaf III, King of Sweden, 1746-1792, and Brunswick-Lüneburg, Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of, 1735-1806
"The Empress Catherine, at the point of death, leans back supporting herself on a chest or seat against the wall (right) of her closet. She shrinks terrified from solid clouds rolling towards her, which support many spectres. Death, a skeleton, stands behind and above her, his spear about to strike her through the brain. In the upper left corner the sack of 'Warsaw' is in progress, soldiers are killing women and children, others hurling bodies from a battlement. Near these groups of tiny figures 'Kosciusko' sits heavily shackled, a pitcher beside him. Next him stands Stanislaus II of 'Poland', wearing his (lost) crown, his wrists chained. Nearest the Empress stands Peter in a shroud and wearing a crown, holding out clasped hands towards her. A woman's arm points at him with a rod. The other figures are persons in death-agonies: a young man is suspended by the bound wrists from a gibbet. A naked man holds up a rope which is round his neck; a decapitated man holds out his head; a hand holds a sword which has transfixed the naked body of a woman; a naked child holds up a goblet. Other heads emerge from the clouds. The Empress clutches at her petticoat, revealing two cloven hoofs. Behind her head is a bust portrait of Fox, looking with horror at the ghosts among the clouds. The end of the chest on which she sits is removed, showing within it two grinning demons among flames, holding up an open box inscribed 'for Kates Spirit.'"--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Tale for future times
Description:
Title from item., Sheet trimmed within plate mark at top and bottom., Temporary local subject terms: Allusion to regicide -- Devil: cloven hoofs -- Reference to the partitions of Poland (1772-1795) -- Reference to the massacre of Praga, 1794., and Watermark: 1794.
Publisher:
Pubd. by S.W. Fores, N. 50 Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Peter III, Emperor of Russia, 1728-1762, Stanisław II August, King of Poland, 1732-1798, Kościuszko, Tadeusz, 1746-1817, and Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806
Subject (Topic):
Death, Demons, Executions, Ghosts, Hell, and Skeletons
"Catherine II places in its niche the bust of Fox which is being hauled into position by a rope over a pulley held by a Russian bear, who crouches (right) beside the steps on which the Empress stands. She is in back view, very stout, wearing ermine-trimmed robes with a laurel wreath in place of the usual crown. On each side of the bust is a larger alcove for whole length statues of 'ΔΕΜΟΣΘΕΝΗΣ' and 'M.T. CICERO'. These statues are stepping down from their niches, looking apprehensively at Fox. Their eyes have the blankness of sculpture, but their faces express indignant alarm. Cicero holds a scroll: 'In Cata[linam]'. Fox's head is that of life rather than of sculpture. Above it is an oval picture or bas-relief inscribed 'Regulus'; a number of men are imprisoning a victim in a large cask lined with spikes. Demosthenes (left) steps down from his niche on to one of two large packing-cases inscribed 'Houghton Collection For The Emp[ress of] Russia' and 'Hough . . .' (Catherine having bought pictures from the collection of Sir Robert Walpole). Beside them stands a bust of Paul Jones, wearing a cocked hat and looking up at Fox with a sinister glare. Cicero steps down on to the arm of the Imperial throne, which is formed by the neck of a vulture; the legs of the throne are those of a bird of prey. On its seat lies a scroll inscribed: 'Memorial Ambassador extraordinary Sheweth That your Memorialists are attached to your Majesty and have opposed the Armament, divided against the Minister [ ? leaving him in a] small Majority, rai[led] against the Balance [of] Power, chalked up [on] the Walls in capital [letters] No Russian War.' (The right edge of the document is cut off by the margin of the design, leaving some of the words to be supplied by the reader.) Under the chair lies a dog. The vulture's claw which forms a leg of the throne is planted on a large map across the word 'Oczak[ow]'; 'The Bog', 'The Neister', and 'Black Sea' are also shown. The Russian bear is crouching on this map."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., Temporary local subject terms: Symbols: Russian bear -- Birds -- Furnishings: Throne with vulture's heads and legs -- Statues -- Busts -- Maps: Russia's expansions westward -- Pictures amplifying subject: Regulus tortured by Carthaginians -- Art collections: allusion to Catherine II's purchase of Sir Robert Walpole's collection., and Mounted on page 73.
Publisher:
Published 15th March 1792 by Thos. Cornell, Bruton Street
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Jones, John Paul, 1747-1792, Cicero, Marcus Tullius., Regulus, Marcus Atilius, -250 B.C.?, and Demosthenes.
Subject (Topic):
Bears, Vultures, Thrones, Sculpture, Pulleys, and Maps
"Catherine II places in its niche the bust of Fox which is being hauled into position by a rope over a pulley held by a Russian bear, who crouches (right) beside the steps on which the Empress stands. She is in back view, very stout, wearing ermine-trimmed robes with a laurel wreath in place of the usual crown. On each side of the bust is a larger alcove for whole length statues of 'ΔΕΜΟΣΘΕΝΗΣ' and 'M.T. CICERO'. These statues are stepping down from their niches, looking apprehensively at Fox. Their eyes have the blankness of sculpture, but their faces express indignant alarm. Cicero holds a scroll: 'In Cata[linam]'. Fox's head is that of life rather than of sculpture. Above it is an oval picture or bas-relief inscribed 'Regulus'; a number of men are imprisoning a victim in a large cask lined with spikes. Demosthenes (left) steps down from his niche on to one of two large packing-cases inscribed 'Houghton Collection For The Emp[ress of] Russia' and 'Hough . . .' (Catherine having bought pictures from the collection of Sir Robert Walpole). Beside them stands a bust of Paul Jones, wearing a cocked hat and looking up at Fox with a sinister glare. Cicero steps down on to the arm of the Imperial throne, which is formed by the neck of a vulture; the legs of the throne are those of a bird of prey. On its seat lies a scroll inscribed: 'Memorial Ambassador extraordinary Sheweth That your Memorialists are attached to your Majesty and have opposed the Armament, divided against the Minister [ ? leaving him in a] small Majority, rai[led] against the Balance [of] Power, chalked up [on] the Walls in capital [letters] No Russian War.' (The right edge of the document is cut off by the margin of the design, leaving some of the words to be supplied by the reader.) Under the chair lies a dog. The vulture's claw which forms a leg of the throne is planted on a large map across the word 'Oczak[ow]'; 'The Bog', 'The Neister', and 'Black Sea' are also shown. The Russian bear is crouching on this map."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., Temporary local subject terms: Symbols: Russian bear -- Birds -- Furnishings: Throne with vulture's heads and legs -- Statues -- Busts -- Maps: Russia's expansions westward -- Pictures amplifying subject: Regulus tortured by Carthaginians -- Art collections: allusion to Catherine II's purchase of Sir Robert Walpole's collection., 1 print : etching and aquatint on wove paper ; plate mark 38.9 x 27.7 cm, on sheet 40.2 x 28.8 cm., and Mounted on leaf 53 of James Sayers's Folio album of 144 caricatures.
Publisher:
Published 15th March 1792 by Thos. Cornell, Bruton Street
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Jones, John Paul, 1747-1792, Cicero, Marcus Tullius., Regulus, Marcus Atilius, -250 B.C.?, and Demosthenes.
Subject (Topic):
Bears, Vultures, Thrones, Sculpture, Pulleys, and Maps
