Hogarth's Works, with life and anecdotal descriptions of his pictures. Volume 3 (of 3)Ireland, John
General
Hogarth's Works, with life and anecdotal descriptions of his pictures. Volume 3 (of 3)
Ireland, John
Hogarth, William, 1697-1764
As a companion to it, the united statues of a Venus and Cupid, both
of them masked, are placed on the opposite side of the print. Cupid,
who is a very well-drawn and spirited little figure, "has bent his
bow to shoot at random," and Venus seems contemplating the rise and
fall of the mercury in one of those instruments which the reference
informs us is to show the inclinations of all that approach it. The
niche in which these divinities are placed is not only decorated with
curtains, but crowned with cooing doves. An altar beneath has on it
three or four bleeding hearts, which, being close to the blaze, are
in the way of being broiled. On the base are queue-wigs, bag-wigs,
etc.
This may suffice for the presiding deities of the diversion; the head
of their high priest, the renowned Heidegger, master of the mysteries
and manager in chief, is placed on the front of a large dial, fixed
lozenge-fashion at the top of the print, and I believe intended to
vibrate with the pendulum, the ball of which hangs beneath, and is
labelled "Nonsense." On the minute finger is written "Impertinence,"
and on the hour hand, "Wit:" which seems to intimate nonsense every
second, impertinence every minute, and wit once an hour! The time is
half-past one--the witching hour of night; 1727, the date of the year
this print was published, is on the corners of the clock.
Recumbent on the upper line of this print, and resting against the
sides of the dial, the artist has placed our British lion and unicorn
renverse (such, I think, is the term in heraldry), lying on their
backs, and each of them playing with its own tail; the lion sinister,
and the unicorn dexter. The supporters of our regal arms being thus
ludicrously introduced, may perhaps allude to the encouragement
George the Second gave to Heidegger, who at that period might be said
to
"Teach kings to fiddle, and make senates dance;"
and who, by thus kindly superintending the pleasures of our nobles,
gained an income of £5000 a year, and, as he frequently boasted, laid
out the whole in this country.
Beneath is a framed picture of a Bacchanalian scene; and on each
side, shelves with pyramids of jellies, sweetmeats, etc., inscribed
"Provocatives." On two labels placed before them is written, "Supper
below."
A pair of instruments, somewhat similar to the mental thermometer in
"The Medley," are fixed on each side: on that next to Venus and Cupid
is written, "cool, warm, dry, changeable, hot, moist, fixt;" on the
other, "expectation, hope, hot desire, extreme hot, moist, sudden
cold."
The motley crew who make up the crowd it is not easy to describe, for
every one present assumes a false character.
"Here tottering old age essays to prance
With feeble feet, and joins th' imperfect dance;
There, supercilious youth assumes the air
And reverend mien which hoary sages wear.
'Tis thus, like Proteus, Folly joys to range,
Her name to vary, and her shape to change."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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