Counsellor O.P.–Defender of our Theatric Liberties (December 5, 1809, Met-Objekt 4343)
Original title: Counsellor O.P.–Defender of our Theatric Liberties
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many contemporary satirical prints that show the chaos of the O.P. riots only from the outside, James Gillray's hand-colored etching of 1809 brings a single figure to the fore: a man in a dark suit and top hat, holding aloft a burning torch. Behind him, smoke and flames rise from a building—an allusion to the disturbances at London's Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. The sheet combines portraiture-like closeness with the backdrop of a burning house.
Description
A figure in dark clothing and a black top hat stands elevated, a blazing torch in his raised right hand. The background is filled by a multi-story building with rows of windows and a roof, from which billows of smoke and flames burst. The ground is strewn with scattered stones; at the bottom edge lie two labeled bottles. An appended text identifies the man as 'Counsellor O.P.' and adds a poem. The layout contrasts the figure's calm stance with the turmoil of the burning house.
Context
This print belongs to the time of the O.P. (Old Price) riots of 1809, when audiences protested against raised ticket prices and the new boxes at the rebuilt Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. James Gillray, one of the leading British caricaturists of the Georgian era, intervened in the public disputes with this satirical drawing. The O.P. movement demanded the return of the old prices and was widely discussed in the press and by the public.
Impact
Torch and ruined building create a menacing mood that evokes uproar and destruction. Gillray's exaggeration of the self-proclaimed 'defender' of theatrical freedoms exposes the protest movement's readiness for violence. The sheet encourages viewers to question the events critically rather than see them merely as a fight for freedom.
Technique
For this hand-colored etching, the plate was etched with acid and the impression then painted by hand with watercolors. The precise hatching and delicate lines correspond to Gillray's working method at the time, which he often used for political caricatures.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)