print;
satirical print
- Museum number
- 1868,0808.5001
- Title
- Object: A petrified lusus naturae/ Lately discovered in the ruins of a temple once dedicated to liberty by the Britons
- Description
-
A large rock stands in a landscape; carved in the rock are busts in relief of Portland, Fox, and North, numbered respectively "1", "2", "3". The king (right) stands inspecting them through a single eye-glass. He wears court-dress and a sword. He is saying, "my friend Je--kinson shall write a desertation on this Phenomenon".
The centre head, in full face, superimposed on the other two, is that of Fox, his bushy eyebrows and 'gun-powder jowl' much stressed. On the left, looking to left, is the Duke of Portland; on the right, in profile facing the king, is North. Numbers refer to notes engraved below the title:
"N° 1 [Portland] Supposed to be the head of a Patrician on close examination; Lennaeus was of opinion it never contained much Brain he vainly Accepted a Situation in the common Wealth that exposed him to his fellow Citizens as he was known to be a mere tool in the hands of others.
2 [Fox] The head of a turbulent and factious Tribune of great abilities which he exerted occasionally for and Against Government as he happened to be in or out of Power in the Senate he cared not what falsehood he advanced to carry a Question against a Consul.
3 [North] The head of a Tribune of Patrician Ancestors who had been Consul and much admired for his Wit eloquence and knowledge, he had the Art to impose himself upon the People for an honest disinterested man, he was removed from the Consulate by a fachin [sic] Whose conduct he declared would ruin the State, yet rather than lose the emoluments of Office he joined his enemies, and Submitted to hold under them a Subordinate office in the Republic, his conduct in this instance was much censured by the People and gave rise to many witty Pasquinades." 6 May 1783
Etching
- Production date
- 1783
- Dimensions
-
Height: 257 millimetres
-
Width: 354 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', V, 1935)
The supposed secret and great influence over the king of Jenkinson, afterwards 1st Earl of Liverpool, had made him very unpopular, see Walpole, 'Last Journals', 1910, ii. 503, 504, 506, 508. March 1783. See also BMSat 6256. For Portland as the puppet of others see BMSat 6226, &c.
This satire appears to be an imitation of BMSat 3417, 'Lusus Naturae' (1756), in which the petrified heads were those of the Duke of Newcastle, Stone, the Duke's secretary, and Henry Fox.
Either by Colley or by an imitator of his style, perhaps Gillray; the head of Fox resembles that in BMSat 6117.
(Supplementary information)
Thomas is otherwise unrecorded and may be a pseudonym.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1868
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1868,0808.5001
