"Indian men and women kneel before a large rectangular pedestal on which stands a golden calf with the head of Hastings. Three Indians lie on the pedestal at Hastings's feet, making gestures of despair and entreaty. From his mouth protrudes a sword (left) inscribed 'The Brand of Devastation'. On his back sits Wilkes facing the tail (right) which he lifts with one hand; in the other is the cap of 'Liberty' in which he catches large jewels excreted by the Golden Calf. He wears a livery gown and says: "Who would not wipe a Calf's Backside, To gain the Sparks of Eastern Pride". At the Calf's feet lie a crown, sceptre, and orb, with (?) scimitars. On the ground and on the extreme left a well-dressed man stands before an altar holding a knife which drips blood over the altar; he says, pointing to an Indian who lies at his feet, stabbed through the heart: 'When British Judges rule the Coast, The Natives must obey, No palliative means we boast, By G------you die or pay'. In the foreground (right) stand Thurlow and a military officer. The Chancellor, who wears his wig and robe, is blindfolded; in his right hand he holds erect the 'Sword of Justice', which is being taken from him by the officer who holds a diamond against the blade. In Thurlow's left hand is a bag inscribed 'Gold Moors'; he says: "Which Powerful God my wavering mind controuls, And my Sage Brows with Golden bands infolds, 'Tis Mammons self I can be Just no more, Take thou the Sword give me the Golden Store". The officer, who wears a wallet or haversack inscribed 'Diamonds', says: "So shall we Triumph while the Diamond's smile, Can melt the Soul and Justice's beguile." Three Indians who kneel in the foreground below the pedestal of the Golden Calf are offering money (a bag inscribed 'Gold Moors') and jewel-boxes to Hastings."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Children of India worshipping the golden calf
Description:
Title etched below image., Possibly after John Boyne according to Andrew Edmunds., Sheet trimmed to plate mark on top edge., and Mounted to: 56 x 62 cm.
Publisher:
Publish'd May 15, 1788, by J. Berry, No. 129 Oxford Road
Subject (Name):
Hastings, Warren, 1732-1818, Thurlow, Edward Thurlow, Baron, 1731-1806, Wilkes, John, 1725-1797, and East India Company.
Subject (Topic):
Impeachment, Adoration, Ceremonial objects, Corruption, Idols, Justice, and Liberty
Two medallions side-by-side contrast British Liberty and French Liberty. On the left Britannia is seated under a large oak looking out to sea at a ship under full sail. At her feet lies the British lion, in her hands the scales of justice and a copy of the Magna Charta. On the right French Liberty, Medusa-like, tramples on a decapitated body, as she holds a trident impaled with a head and two hearts. In the background a body hangs from a street lamp shaped like a gibbet. Beneath the images, a list of contrasting virtues and vices of the two countries
Description:
Title etched above images., Printmaker, artist, and publication date from British Museum catalogue., Text in lower right corner of plate, preceded by the word "Price" that has been mostly burnished out: Plain 3d coloured 6., Six lines of text below each image. Under the image of British Liberty: Religion, morality, loyalty ... Under the image of French Liberty: Atheism, perjury, rebellion ... At the lower edge, below both columns: Which is best., and Mounted to 32 x 45 cm.
Publisher:
publisher not identified
Subject (Geographic):
France
Subject (Topic):
Medusa (Greek mythology), Britannia (Symbolic character), Decapitations, Hangings (Executions)., Liberty cap, Liberty, Scales, Ships, History, and Foreign public opinion, British
A cartoon illustrating the first reactions in England to the news of the fall of the Bastille. On the right, the radiant figure of Liberty sits enthroned on the ruins of the Bastille. Kneeling on one knee before her, Louis XVI holds up to her his crown; inscribed below him are the words "A repentant monarch." Following behind him are six figures in chains, each clearly identified: Orléans and Necker, Marie Antoinette, two German counselors, and a figure suggestive of Mrs. Schwellenberg. La Fayette and the ranks of the National Guard bring up the rear. All around them are cheering crowds
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., "Price 2 sh. plain.", Sheet trimmed to plate mark., and Watermark.
Publisher:
Pubd. Aug. 3d, 1789, by J. Aitken, N. 14 Castle Street, Leicester Fields
Subject (Geographic):
France
Subject (Name):
Louis XVI, King of France, 1754-1793, Marie Antoinette, Queen, consort of Louis XVI, King of France, 1755-1793, Necker, Jacques, 1732-1804, Schwellenberg, Elizabeth Juliana, ca 1728-1797, Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834, and Bastille.
Subject (Topic):
Liberty, History, and Foreign public opinion, British
