- Museum number
- 1868,0808.12743
- Title
- Object: Bleeding & Warm Water! or, the allied dostors bringing Boney to his sense's.
- Description
-
Napoleon, a grotesque mannikin in a strait-waistcoat, sits on a three-legged 'Stool of Repentance' which stands in a large tub of 'Hot Water', whose steaming contents are inscribed 'Sea of Troubles'. The waistcoat is inscribed 'Allied Strait Waist-coat'; it has long sleeves extending far beyond his hands, the ends held by the Tsar (left) and a Cossack (right) so that the captive's arms are horizontally extended. His head is bald and is in profile to the left; he has a beak-like nose and his mouth gapes like a young bird's for a huge bolus inscribed 'Invasion of France' which John Bull, a fat 'cit', puts into his mouth. Alexander, who wears an ill-fitting bag-wig poised on his own hair, holds a knout with knotted lashes, inscribed 'Russia Hemp'; he says: "I have found, a constant application of this Russian Knout to work Wonders!!" John Bull, who stands beside him, says: "Work away my Masters I'll pay you your fees ay ay rave & rant Master Boney but the Devil will Bone you at last." In the centre of the design, high above the other figures, stands a grotesque Dutchman, with a conical hat, a frill round his neck, and grinning features. In his hat is a ribbon inscribed 'Orange' and a pipe. He holds up a short cannon or mortar inscribed 'Dutch Drops' [see No. 12114], from which pours a flood containing tiny replicas of himself armed with dagger, axe, a blunderbuss or bayonet, who descend upon Napoleon's head; among these are balls (bullets or oranges), the largest inscribed 'Orange Boven'. He says: "We'll try what Dutch Drops will do!" By the tub (right) kneels a Spanish don, wearing slashed tunic and breeches, with cloak and ruff; he applies a plaster to Napoleon's back inscribed 'Spanish Flies' [cantharides or blister-beetles, see No. 11016], and grins broadly, saying, "Here is a Plaster of Spanish flies for his - ." Behind him stands the Cossack, piercing Napoleon's left arm with
his long spear, making a fountain of blood spurt into a bowl, inscribed 'Crown Bowl', held by Bernadotte, the Crown Prince of Sweden. Bernadotte wears an absurd powdered wig with queue perched on his own hair which is in a small pigtail. On the wig is poised a cocked hat. He says: "I think my Crown Razors have shaved his Crown pretty close." From his belt hangs an open razor, the blade inscribed 'Best Crown Steel'. Like Alexander, he wears uniform with jack-boots. The tub stands upon flames inscribed 'Moscow' from which emerge the towers and buildings of the city, see No. 12049. Napoleon frantically flourishes above the water one thin leg in a huge jack-boot with a giant spur. He exclaims: "Hence with your Medecines—they but drive me Mad— Curse on your Dutch Drops your Leipsic Blister [see No. 12093, &c.] & your Spanish flies they have fretted me to what I am D—n your Cossack Lancets They have drained my veins and rendered me poor & vulnerable indeed!—Oh! how I am fallen—But I will still struggle—I will still be great—Myriads of Frenchmen still shall uphold the glory of my Name the Granduer [sic] of my Throne & write my disgrace in the hearts of ye—ye Wretched creatures of English Gold!" On the extreme right a Frenchman wearing a bonnet rouge looks in through a window, much perturbed. He says: "By gar de grande Bounaparte get into de hot water at last, he no like his Doctors—by gar he say they be no doctors, but de journeymen of dat great Doctor John Bull." Behind Alexander and on the extreme left is the 'Allied Medecine Chest'. It contains a jar of 'Surgical Instruments' bristling with cutting and slashing weapons, axes, bayonets, sword, &c., with a jagged saw; a pile of 'snow balls' [cf. No. 11917, &c.], and a jar of 'Cossack Leeches'.
Plate numbered 287.
12 December 1813.
Hand-coloured etching.
- Production date
- 1813
- Dimensions
-
Height: 250 millimetres
-
Width: 350 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M. Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', IX, 1949)
One of many prints exulting at the French defeats, see No. 12114, &c., with the liberation of Holland, see No. 12102, &c., taking a prominent place. As in No. 12110, England's part as paymaster of the Allies is stressed, but without rancour, John Bull being transformed from patient to doctor. 'Invasion' is a reference to Wellington, the Allies did not cross the Rhine till 20 Dec. For 'English gold' cf. No. 12542. Cf. No. 10970 (1808), where 'Doctor Boney' deals with the Powers of Europe.
A Dutch print, 't zickbed van Napoleon de Ie', Van Stolk, No. 6264, is said by Broadley to derive from this print, but is an entirely different design.
Reid, No. 276. Cohn, No. 931. Broadley, i. 345 f.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1868
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1868,0808.12743
