Before
Print
15/12/1736 (published)
15/12/1736 (published)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Etching and engraving, 2nd state, from a pair entitled 'Before' and 'After'. Two lovers are depicted in a bedroom with a seated man grabbing a woman who pushes him away with one hand on his face. The man in the scene has been identified as Sir John Willes, Walpole Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. The satirical print is laden with innuendo to scandalise him as a notorious womaniser, notably the Cupid poised to shoot an arrow towards the couple and a book of erotic poems by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680) visible on the top of the dressing table.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Before (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Etching and engraving |
Brief description | Etching and engraving by William Hogarth entitled 'Before'. British, 1736. |
Physical description | Etching and engraving, 2nd state, from a pair entitled 'Before' and 'After'. Two lovers are depicted in a bedroom with a seated man grabbing a woman who pushes him away with one hand on his face. The man in the scene has been identified as Sir John Willes, Walpole Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. The satirical print is laden with innuendo to scandalise him as a notorious womaniser, notably the Cupid poised to shoot an arrow towards the couple and a book of erotic poems by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680) visible on the top of the dressing table. |
Dimensions |
|
Style | |
Credit line | Bequeathed by John Forster |
Object history | This pair of prints was popular throughout Hogarth lifetime but after death, the artist's wife Jane Thornhill, and Hogarth's publisher John Boydell, suppressed it from most bound editions of the printed works. In certain cases they were placed inside a separate folder in the back of the volume. |
Subjects depicted | |
Collection | |
Accession number | F.118:94 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | March 11, 2020 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSON