print;
frontispiece
- Museum number
- 2010,7081.1501
- Title
- Series: Veluti in Speculum
- Description
-
Label on the wrapper of a group of three mezzotint caricatures of men as pigeons (2010,7081.1502-4). These are stitched-bound into brown paper wrappers, with some manuscript identifications in an 18thC hand in brown ink. The label/frontispiece is pasted onto the front wrapper
A jester shown bust-length to left, pointing upwards; in a roundel inscribed 'Speculum Veluti'; engraved lettering to either side '[some damage] Pythagorus's doctrine // of Transmigration / clear'd to the mean // est cap [...] / by Examples of - well known [...] formerly Men now // transmig.d into Pigeons / To be continue'd // occasionally, price 2s. [...]'; engraved lettering below the roundel with a quotation from John Gay 'Of Bodies chang'd to various Forms Ising [sic] Ovid. // [two columns] Sagacious Porta's skill cou'd trace / Some Beast or Bird in Evr'y Face, / The Head the Eye, the Noses shape, / Prov'd this a Pigeon, that an Ape, // You show the Piece, & give the hint / And find each Feature in the Print, / So monstrous like the Portrai's found / All know it, & the laugh goes round. / Like him I draw from Gen'ral Nature / Ist for You then fix the Satire, / Gay'
Etching and engraving with some hand-colouring
- Production date
- 1760s-1770s (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 38 millimetres (roundel)
-
Height: 63 millimetres (trimmed to printed area)
-
Width: 96 millimetres (trimmed to printed area)
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 2010
- Acquisition notes
- Acquired with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Friends of the British Museum, the Art Fund, Mrs Charles Wrightsman, the Michael Marks Charitable Trust, and numerous individual donors.
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 2010,7081.1501