A caricature of Queen Caroline embracing her lover Bartolomeo Bergami
Description:
Title etched below image., Attributed to William Heath; see Curator's comments, British Museum online catalogue registration no.: 1949,1008.49., Probably a later state, with the text "Le cannon est en bas" added at end of title. For a variant state lacking this text, see Lewis Walpole Library call no.: 820.08.28.01+., and Not in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires.
Publisher:
Pub. Aug. 28, 1820, by S.W. Fores, 41 Picadilli [sic]
Subject (Name):
Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821, Bergami, Bartolomeo Bergami, Baron, Bergami, Bartolomeo Bergami, Baron., and Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821.
The Queen, grossly caricatured, sits on a zebra which stands in a round band-box with a hinged and upturned lid inscribed 'a Present from Bart. Bergami'. The zebra has the (profile) head of Wood, looking with greedy and imbecile satisfaction towards a sieve of food inscribed 'Garden of St Cath[erine]'. This is held out by two hands projecting from the right margin. The Queen, with a grin both calculating and insane, sits full-face, negligently holding reins attached to Wood's mouth, her right hand on her hip. She sits in a smaller (bottomless) band-box which surrounds her entirely from just below her large waist down, with only one leg extended below. She wears a décolletée dress; on her head is an erection of feathers and flowers rising from a circlet inscribed 'Wood'. An owl (cf. British Museum satires no. 14199) flies by her head. In the background is Brandenburgh House, in front of which is a braying ass
Alternative Title:
Queen's ass in a band-box
Description:
Title etched below image., A reversed copy of a print attributed to Theodore Lane that was published 22 January 1821 by G. Humphrey. See no. 14110 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 10., and The letters "ee" have been added in ink to the censored word "Qu-n's" in title, to complete the intended word "Queen's".
Publisher:
publisher not identified
Subject (Name):
Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821, Wood, Matthew, Sir, 1768-1843, Bergami, Bartolomeo Bergami, Baron., and Brandenburgh House (London, England),
Hayter, George, Sir, 1792-1871, printmaker, artist
Published / Created:
[approximately 1823]
Call Number:
Drawer 823.00.00.28+
Image Count:
1
Resource Type:
still image
Abstract:
"The interior of the House of Lords, crowded with nobles in the benches and galleries on either side, attending the trial of Queen Caroline for adultery with Pergami, her Italian secretary; George IV stands, hands on hips, in the left gallery, the editors of the Times and Courier lean over the front bench below it, Robert Gifford, attorney general, stands in front of them holding a finger to his chin thoughtfully while Spinetti interprets for a witness, Majocchi, at the bar, behind which Tyrwhitt, Long and Castlereagh, sit sifting papers to the left of the Queen's solicitor and Denman, who takes a paper from Henry Brougham, the Queen sits to the right in front of the bar, Earl Grey stands in the right aisle, pointing with his right arm towards the witness, and the artist is shown standing with a folio under his arm on the far right."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched at top of image., Initial letters of printmaker's name form a monogram., Sheets trimmed within plate marks., Five of the six prints comprising this image were issued as illustrations in: Descriptive catalogue of the great historical picture painted by Mr. George Hayter ... London : Gold and Walton, 1823. Cf. British Museum online catalogue, registration no.: 2010,7081.7373.1-5., and Annotated in black ink by an unidentified hand with numbers by each image matching those used for the printed key to the later published state.
Publisher:
publisher not identified
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain.
Subject (Name):
Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821, Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821,, Bergami, Bartolomeo Bergami, Baron., George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830,, Gifford, Robert Gifford, Baron, 1779-1826,, Majocchi, Theodore, active 1820,, Tyrwhitt, Thomas, 1762 or 1763-1833,, Long, Charles, 1760-1838,, Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, Viscount, 1769-1822,, Denman, Thomas Denman, Baron, 1779-1854,, Brougham and Vaux, Henry Brougham, Baron, 1778-1868,, Lushington, Stephen, 1782-1873,, Grey, Charles Grey, Earl, 1764-1845,, Hayter, George, Sir, 1792-1871,, and Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords
Subject (Topic):
Scandals, Trials (Adultery), Government officials, Judicial proceedings, Queens, and British