William Hogarth - The Bruiser, C. Churchill - SEVENTH STATE (1763)

Title: The Bruiser, C. Churchill - Seventh State

Artist: William Hogarth (1697-1764)

Year of printing: c. 1763

Origin: London, United Kingdom

Technique: Original copper-engraving on laid paper

Note: This is the seventh state of this famous print. Unlike later re strikes from the 19th century (pulled from the original copper plate but at a much later date), this version is printed on original hand laid paper common for all seventh states, the price has changed from 1 shilling to 1 shilling and 6 pence (thus seventh state). Sharp impression, clear plate-mark.

Size (inc. mat): 59 x 45.5 cm

Size image: 37.5 x 27 cm

Professionally matted in acid-free museum quality mat-board, broad margins, sharp impression.

Artist: William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. As an artist, Hogarth was known as a well-established portrait-painter. However, he became mostly famous as a cartoonist who (through designing and publishing prints) mocked 18th century current affairs through "modern moral subjects" depicted in a humorous / satirical way. During Hogarth's time, art became more commercialised and through the distribution / publishing of prints more accessible to a general audience. In England, the fine arts had little comedy in them before Hogarth. Hogarth's idea was: "painting and engraving modern moral subjects... to treat my subjects as a dramatic writer, my picture was my stage". Most of Hogarth's prints that were published / printed during his lifetime or in the 18th century are much rarer than the later 19th century restrikes.

Technique: The technique used for this print is copper-engraving. After an artist made a drawing, an engraver would that image (reversed) on a copperplate and would engrave all the details of that image in that plate. After this, ink would be applied on the plate and immediately whipped of the surface, leaving only ink in the grooves. The plate was then placed under a press with a piece of paper on top. After pressing, the ink from the grooves would remain on the paper creating the image.

Depiction: In 1763, C. Churchill published An Epistle to William Hogarth in defence of John Wilkes, whom Hogarth had mocked in a portrait earlier that year. Hogarth's response was to almost completely alter his earlier self-portrait, while keeping only his pug dog Trump, the curtain and the oval canvas that originally depicted the artist himself. He replaced his portrait with an image of Churchill depicted as a bear. The bear is dressed in the dirty and tattered robes of a clergyman. The bear drools down his front, and holds a tankard of ale in one hand and a Herculean club in the other. The knots of his club are engraved with the words: fallacies and lies. In the foreground, the pug urinates on a copy of Churchill's publication, while on of the books has the title: "A new way to pay old debts, a comedy'