A Touch on the Times (December 29, 1788, Met-Objekt 4259)
Original title: A Touch on the Times
kurzbeschreibung
Thomas Rowlandson's hand-colored etching 'A Touch on the Times,' dated 29 December 1788, caricatures a scene in which a king is touched by virtue. Figures such as Liberty and Commerce surround him. The print pairs political allegory with satirical bite.
Description
A woman in Roman dress, labeled 'Virtue,' takes the hand of a king. He holds a sword and scales, emblems of power and justice. To the left stands a figure called 'Liberty,' carrying a lantern and a shield inscribed 'Publick Safety.' Other characters fill the picture, among them a woman marked 'Commerce' and a group drinking and arguing. Blue, red and gray dominate the palette, while hand-drawn detail sharpens the contours.
Context
When the etching appeared in December 1788, Britain was in political turmoil over the mental illness of King George III. The Regency crisis of 1788–1789 set off debate about the succession and the standing of the monarch. Rowlandson, known for his satirical prints, took up these tensions and commented on how the public viewed power and virtue.
Impact
Plain allegory and caricatural features make the sheet immediately legible. Serious symbols such as the sword and scales meet humorously exaggerated faces, producing an ironic distance from the politics of the day.
Technique
Hand-colored etching: an etched plate was pulled on paper, and the result was then painted by hand in watercolors. Precise lines and strong areas of color are characteristic of English caricature in the late eighteenth century. At 26.5 × 38.2 cm, the sheet matches the usual format for this genre.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)