1724 (1822) Antique Print; A Just View of the British Stage by William Hogarth

Description: On offer: an original (i.e. not a later reproduction) antique print "A Just View of the British Stage or Three Heads are Better than One.". A satirical view of the management of British plays set at the stage of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and mocks the subjects as degenerate. This print was prompted by the popularity of exotic, irrational and often foreign amusements which caused a decline in the traditional native theatre. It attacks the frenzy for such extravaganzas as the pantomines, farces and virtual circuses staged by John Rich at Lincoln’s Inn Fields. DATE PRINTED: 1822. The original plates were published in 1724. This example is from a later issue by Thomas Cook in 1822. SIZE: The printed area including titles is approximately 21.5 x 20.5 cm, 8.5 x 8 inches (medium) plus margins. ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: Engraved by Thomas Cook after William Hogarth's paintings. These engravings were executed and published by Cook between 1796-1803. William Hogarth FRSA (10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic, and editorial cartoonist. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects", perhaps best known being his moral series A Harlot's Progress, A Rake's Progress and Marriage A-la-Mode. Knowledge of his work is so pervasive that satirical political illustrations in this style are often referred to as "Hogarthian". PROVENANCE: A plate published by William Hogarth. Probably from "The Moral and Comic Works of the Late Celebrated William Hogarth" published in 1797 by Laurie and Whittle, Fleet Street, London or, an earlier print published by Hogarth himself. Inscribed on plate is "Publish'd according to Act of Parliament August 25th 1746".TYPE: Antique copper plate engraving printed on paper. VERSO: There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is blank. CONDITION: Good. Suitable for framing. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. Virtually all antiquarian maps and prints are subject to some normal aging due to use and time which is not significant unless otherwise stated. AUTHENTICITY: This is an authentic antique print, published at the date stated above. I do not offer reproductions. It is not a modern copy. The term 'original' when applied to a print means that it was printed at the first or original date of publication; it does not imply that the item is unique. RETURNS POLICY: I offer a no questions returns policy. All I ask is that you pay return shipping and mail back to me in original condition.BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Throughout the scene Hogarth litters the trappings of the pantomime and objects representative of the arts obscured or defaced by the detritus of the production. There is a dragon ready to be swung in from the wings, a dog appearing from a kennel, and various farcical props scattered on the stage. Ben Johnson's Ghost wearing laurels, promised in the commentary below, rises from a trapdoor urinating on the broken statue of a Roman soldier (the soldier's detached leg may be a reference to a scene in Dr. Faustus). The statues on either side of the picture probably refer to the death of Tragedy and Comedy, their faces obscured by the titles of the entertainments under rehearsal. On the model privy pages from Shakespeare's Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Congreve's The Way of Ye World hang as toilet paper. Above the scene is the title, which places the action at a Newgate created by the scene-painter Devoto, at Drury Lane; the motto VIVITUR INGENGIO ("we live by the spirit") hung above the stage there for many years. The three principals endure the brunt of Hogarth's satire. Wilks (to the left of the picture) declares "Poor R—ch, Faith I pitty him" as he sits dangling a puppet of Mr. Punch, a none-too subtle suggestion that he exceeds Rich in his desire to pander to the lowest denominator. Cibber looks heavenward to the painted Muses and entreats "Assist, ye Sacred Nine", while Booth dangles the puppet of Jack Hall and says "Ha, This will do G—d D—me". The ropes above the impresarios mirror the puppets they dangle below, and suggest that the managers will go to any lengths to entertain, even stringing themselves up in a fashion similar to the unhappy fiddler who dangles in the wings (The Music for ye What Entertainment which hangs close by, probably refers to John Gay's The What D'Ye Call It, another satire on the theatrical fashions). Please explore my ebay shop for more antique prints. Track Page Views With Auctiva's FREE Counter

Price: 39.99 GBP

Location: Marlow

End Time: 2025-02-05T08:04:46.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6.5 GBP