Connoisseurs Examining a Collection of George Morland's
Print
16/111807 (printed)
16/111807 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This satire by James Gillray mocks the popular demand for rustic paintings by the artist George Morland. The 'connoisseurs' of the title appear to be rustic and uneducated, more interested in the fat pigs and buxom women in Morland's works, than in the paintings' artistic value. By the later eighteenth century, collecting art was no longer the preserve of a wealthy elite, and the growing middle-class interest in painting caused both concern and amusement in some artistic circles.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Connoisseurs Examining a Collection of George Morland's (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Hand-coloured etching. |
| Brief description | Satirical print, 'Connoisseurs Examining a Collection of George Morland's' by James Gillray, London, 1807. |
| Physical description | Hand-coloured etching, caricaturing a group of connoisseurs looking at rustic paintings by George Morland. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | The practice of collecting art grew dramatically during the period of Gillray's career and the follies of the collector often became his target. Here he mocks the popular demand for George Morland's rustic scenes, which the artist turned out in great numbers, some reportedly only taking a few hours to complete |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
| Object history | Object originally bound in a guard-book containing one hundred and fifteen caricatures by T. Rowlandson, W. Heath, J. Gillray, R. Dighton, G. Cruikshank and others. |
| Summary | This satire by James Gillray mocks the popular demand for rustic paintings by the artist George Morland. The 'connoisseurs' of the title appear to be rustic and uneducated, more interested in the fat pigs and buxom women in Morland's works, than in the paintings' artistic value. By the later eighteenth century, collecting art was no longer the preserve of a wealthy elite, and the growing middle-class interest in painting caused both concern and amusement in some artistic circles. |
| Bibliographic reference | Godfrey, Richard. 'James Gillray and the Art of Caricature', Tate Publishing, 2001, catalogue No. 182B |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1232:8-1882 |
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| Record created | March 8, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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