print;
satirical print
- Museum number
- 1868,0808.6973
- Title
- Object: The balance of power
- Description
-
On the rectangular scales of a gigantic balance stand (left) Pitt and Addington, and (right) Bonaparte, whose scale rests on the ground. He stands, scarcely caricatured, left hand on his hip, a large (sheathed) sabre in his right hand, looking up with calm triumph at the opposite scale which is high in the air. Pitt, with flexed knees, clutches the ropes, while Addington (in Speaker's wig and robes as in BMSat 9736) kneels on one knee and clutches a rope and Pitt's shoulder. They look down at the ground, saying, "So this is the Balance of Power - We have been makeing such a fuss about - a pretty piece of Business we have made of it, Curse that Sword of his, t'is that has made us kick the Beam." 1 December 1801
Hand-coloured etching
- Production date
- 1801
- Dimensions
-
Height: 368 millimetres
-
Width: 262 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', VIII, 1947)
A satire on the Peace Preliminaries, see BMSat 9726, &c. For the comparison between Pitt and Bonaparte cf. BMSat 9544; for the balance of power BMSat 10137. See also BMSat 9733, &c.
Broadley, i. 149 (reproduction), 151. Van Stolk, No. 5953.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1868
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1868,0808.6973