- Museum number
- 1868,0808.13705
- Title
- Object: Represantant d'une grande nation
- Description
-
A grotesque monster, nude and hairy, representing the Constitution of the Year III, stands against the trunk of 'L'Arbre de Liberté' (right) with upraised hands. The tree, 'Emblême de l'Arbre de Connoissance', has withered branches in which fantastic serpents are twined. One of these, having a human head and arms, holds out a 'Pomme d'or'; he is in profile to the left, his wig is inscribed 'Politique Rusée d'une Grande Nation'. (Other apples on the tree are 'Subornation', 'Anarchie Universelle', 'Intrigue', 'Corruption'.) He wears clerical bands and is evidently Talleyrand. From his mouth issue the words: "A L'Empereur. \ Si Voire Majesté, se jettant dans nos Bras. - Repousse l'or Anglais, et les Secours des Russes, \ Nous l'en consolerons, en lui jurant Tout Bas; D'ecraser avec lui - le Grand Turc et les Prusses! Au Roi de Prusse. \ Le fils de Notre Ami - de nous auroit il peur? Les Directeurs français ne veulent que Son Bien, \ Un jour, n'en doutez pas - Vous serez Empereur! Oui - Vous serez Cesar! peut-être plus; ou (tout bas) Plus Rien! \ A L'Angleterre. \ Ennemie de la France - implacable Albion! Ton Or sera la Proie, de la Grande Nation. \ A la sublime Porte. \ Nous sommes Musulmans, a Mahomet fidels; Et du Nom de Chretiens, - ennemis éternels! \ Aux Autres Souverains et Peuples de la Terre. \ Nous pensons à vous tous! Chacun aura son Tour! \ Oui! chaque Etat, doit sentir - Le Prix de notre Amour!"
Another serpentine monster has the body of a scaly bird, with webbed wings and five heads, each wearing a bonnet-rouge; it presumably represents the five Directors. A five-pointed crown encircles all the heads, the points inscribed: [1] 'Sardinia Neaples Rome', [2] 'Venise Modene Savoye', [3] 'Flandres Hollande Allemagne', [4] 'Corsica Malte Egypte', [5] 'Milan Genes Swisse'. They say: "Haine eternel! contre tous les Rois!!!" and are inscribed 'Le Quintuple Auto-democratisme, ou Demo-Autocratisme!' Their body stands on another snake from whose fanged mouth issue the words: 'Qu'est ce qu'un Roi, compare a un Citoyen Francais? Vide le Discours de St Just à la Convention, Avril 1794'. Twined round the serpentine body of the Directory is another serpent whose seven heads on the extreme left are in profile to the right, facing the Directory. The four lower heads are those of Fox, Norfolk, Bedford, and Horne Tooke. Above these are Sheridan, Erskine, and Derby. They say: "Bravo Citoyens Bravo!" These serpents and the branches of the tree fill the upper part of the design.
The burly monster stands below, shouting "Guerre! Guerre! Guerre". He wears a biretta-shaped cap inscribed 'L'Universalité de l'Anarchie \ Majeste Suprême ou \ Souverainté du Peuple \ Vive la Republique \ Vivent les Revolutions'. On his forehead are gilt circles surrounded by words. A '5' is enclosed by 'Roi de Paris', the others are 'Ministre de la Marine', 'Ministre de l'Enterieur', 'Ministre de l'Exterieur', 'Ministre de Finance', 'Ministre de Police'. The glaring eyeballs are inscribed '200' (presumably an error for 250) and '500', the numbers of the two Councils. His satyr's ears are inscribed: 'Passage à I'ordre du jour sur la misere du Peuple sur les Reclamations des Opprimes', and 'Audience Publique à tous les Vagabonds Revolutionaires'. On his hairy (blue) jowl: 'Conspirations Complots Marseillois Carmagnoles'. On the palm of his right hand are crossed cannon: 'Grosse Artilery'; on the left a tiny 'Guilotine'. To his right hand is attached by a string a sabre: 'Devein [sic] Droit Sacré de I'homme! Eloquence! Persuasion Conviction'. He has a barbed tail inscribed 'Propaganda - Universalité de l'Anarchie'. The hairy body is covered with inscriptions, the most prominent: 'Jacobinisme', 'Terreurrisme'. Among the others are: 'Agents-Secrets Agioteurs', 'Anarchistes', 'Assassins honores', 'Atheistes', 'Brigands Couronnes', 'Colporteurs', 'Commissaires', 'Citoyens Actifs', 'Conspirateurs', 'Coupetetes', 'Defenseurs', 'Democrates Egorgeurs-brevetés', 'Factionnaires', 'Fourrageurs', 'Fournisseurs', 'Girondistes', 'Intriguans', 'Juges Jureurs', 'La Lanterne', 'Marseillois', 'Montagnards', 'Muscadins', 'Orleanistes'. The legs are covered with repetitions of 'Assignats', 'Mandats', 'Emprunts-Forcés', 'Contributions', &c.
On the left a grinning Devil emerges from water and flames, surrounded by nine heads, decapitated or emerging from the water. They are not characterized, but words issue from the mouths of five; these include: "Oh mon Cousin Louis, pardonnez mes Forfaits" [Orléans, see BMSat 8292]; "Je suis Mort le Ir Avril je descendis dans l'Enfer où l'Eloquence ne fait rien" [? Danton, executed 6 Apr.]; "En Renoncant a mon Dieu, je suis devenu Monstre! - ..." [? Condorcet]. Robespierre is presumably one of the nine. Three labels issue from the mouth of the Devil: "[1] Onze Licurgus de Paris; Firent un Ouvrage Metaphysique, \ Ils saccoucherent d'une Souris; Qui rongera la Republique: \ Les Assignats déja mangés, \ Elle ronge encore pour badiner, \ L'Archives des Milliards des Decrets!" Round his neck is looped a tricolour cord, which ascends to encircle the necks of the five Directors, and from which a loop branches to the right to surround the neck of the monster, inscribed 'Raoul Barbe-Bleu'. The cord is 'Coalition des grandes Hommes Contre les petits Princes Touiours Deunis'. The design is flanked on the left by an obelisk inscribed 'Monument'; its pendant appears to have been cut off. Above the title stretches a ribbon inscribed 'Dedicated to Posterity.' 23 February 1799
Hand-coloured aquatint and etching, with gold leaf
- Production date
- 1799
- Dimensions
-
Height: 642 millimetres (publication line cut off at bottom)
-
Width: 511 millimetres (right side cut)
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', VII, 1942)
The words issuing from Talleyrand's mouth have a prominent and central place in the design, and the attack on the foreign policy of the Republic (after 'Fructidor', cf. BMSat 9031) stands out among the complicated and repetitive invective of the other inscriptions. For the profession of Islamism see BMSat 9253, &c. The design is unlike that of English satires and is probably French.
(Supplementary information)
The publication details and the right side of this impression have been cut off. See D. Bindman, in F. Carey (ed.) "The Apocalypse and the Shape of Things to Come" (BM, 1999), p.249, cat.20.
See Amanda Lahikainen in 'Print Quarterly', XXIX 2012, pp.22-32, who illustrates a complete impression in the Library of Congress, with the publication date.She published a four-page pamphlet that she found attached to this impression, which explains the composition, and gives enough information to identify the pseudonym 'Obadiah Prim' as being Frederick Albert Winsor, a German immigrant born as Friedrich Albrecht Winzer.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
1999/2000 Dec-Apr, London, BM, 'The Apocalypse', no.20
- Associated names
-
Associated with: Paul François Jean Nicolas, Vicomte de Barras
-
Associated with: Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
-
Associated with: Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet
-
Associated with: Georges Danton
-
Associated with: Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby
-
Associated with: Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
-
Associated with: Charles James Fox
-
Associated with: Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and Francis I, Emperor of Austria
-
Associated with: Frederick William II, King of Prussia
-
Associated with: Louis Marie de la Révellière-Lépeaux
-
Associated with: Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre
-
Associated with: Philippe Antoine Merlin (Merlin de Douai)
-
Associated with: Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk
-
Associated with: Louis Philippe Joseph, duc d'Orléans
-
Associated with: Jean François Rewbell
-
Associated with: Maximilien Robespierre
-
Associated with: Louis Antoine de Saint-Just
-
Associated with: Richard Brinsley Sheridan
-
Associated with: Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Prince de Benevento
-
Associated with: John Horne Tooke
-
Associated with: Jean Baptiste Treilhard
-
Associated with: Sultan of Turkey
- Acquisition date
- 1868
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1868,0808.13705
