The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver.–Vide. Swift's Gulliver: Voyage to Brobdingnag
Original title: The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver.–Vide. Swift's Gulliver: Voyage to Brobdingnag
kurzbeschreibung
James Gillray's 1803 caricature takes a scene from Jonathan Swift's novel: a giant king in a red uniform coat peers through a telescope at the tiny Gulliver, who appears as a soldier with a pistol. The print is a hand-colored etching and aquatint.
Description
The eye is first drawn to the large figure in the red, gold-trimmed uniform coat, who holds a telescope to his eye and aims it at a much smaller figure. This figure wears soldier's clothing and holds a pistol. Behind them opens a green landscape with dark, striped hills. Above the small figure is inscribed text that reads like a critical annotation. The colors are strong, with a hard contrast between red and green.
Context
The caricature was made in 1803, during the Napoleonic Wars. Gillray used the Gulliver episode as a political allegory for the balance of power between Britain and France at the time. The work belongs to a series of political satires published in London.
Impact
The extreme difference in size first provokes amusement, but at the same time conveys a serious political message. The contrast between the king's magnificent uniform and the tiny soldier figure underlines the absurdity of the display of power.
Technique
The print was made as an etching with aquatint and then colored by hand. Aquatint allows fine tonal gradations, which come into play in the landscape and the shading. The coloring was done in strong, flat colors typical of Gillray's prints.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)