1822 Engraving Principal Inhabitants of the Moon Masquerade Ticket Hogarth (HL9)

HOGARTH, William

Beschreibung

1822 - Original Large folio engraving for Some of the Principal Inhabitants of the Moon: Royalty, Episcopacy and Law - Masquerade Ticket published for THE WORKS OF WILLIAM HOGARTH FROM THE ORIGINAL PLATES RESTORED BY JAMES HEATH Esq R.A, printed for Baldwin, Cradock and Joy, Paternoster Row.This iconoclastic emblem, executed in a surrealistic style, is a daring attack upon the English ruling class from a middle-class point of view. Playing on the worldly operations of these celestial (and lunar) figures, it depicts kings, bishops and lawyers as empty, mechanical forms having the power to manipulate but being composed only of the symbols with which they are decorated. The circular form of the print is designed to suggest the field of vision offered by a telescope. On an elevated structure sits a king bearing a scepter and orb; he has a coin for a head. A bishop is resting his limbs on a luxurious pile of cushions; his head, a Jews harp, operates a money-making machine by means of a prayerbook tied to its crank. The machine, shaped like a church steeple, is topped by a weather vane, which like the moons on the kings orb and scepter, is a symbol of inconstancy. This device pour money into a chest bearing a coat of arms that reveals the hierarchys preoccupatoin with food.The overdressed lawyer, whose might resides in his gigantic sword and dagger, has a mallet as a head. The lawyer is flanked by two symbols of dilettantish, aristocratic society; the woman has a teapot as a head, a glass as a neck and a fan as a torso, her effeminate companion has a coat of arms for a head and two decorated fan sticks for legs. The king is flanked by his courtiers, who have mirrors as bodies and money as heads, and by his armyPlatesize approx 49cm x 63cm (19 1/2in x 24 3/4in). Condition generally very fine.All of our antique prints and maps are original antiques as dated. We do not sell modern copies or reproductions.Antique Paper Company are a long established family business selling original antique prints, maps engravings as well as many other paper antiques such as original vintage Decorative Posters, Ephemera, Stamps Postal History, Manuscripts, Antiquarian Books much more. We are always looking to buy and have up to andpound;500,000 in immediate funds available. We are looking for exceptional single items, better collections, original archives, Atlases, Libraries, accumulations etc and have previously purchased from Major Institutions, Libraries, Collectors, Solicitors many other sources. We are happy to travel almost anywhere in the world for the right opportunities. So please do get in touch if you are considering selling your Antique Paper collectables. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers HL9-5013068

Bibliografische Details

Titel: 1822 Engraving Principal Inhabitants of the ...