‘After’

William Hogarth (1697–1764), etching and engraving, 1736

Hogarth’s distinctive taste for satire is shown in these pendants of a well-to-do couple before and after sex. The attitude of the protagonists and the chaotic look of the room signal, however, the brutality of the act. The overturned table reveals a second image on the wall, with a laughing Cupid pointing at the spent rocket he was lighting in the image hanging above.

  • Artwork typeprint, cartoon
  • Object numberRP-P-1962-390
  • Dimensionsheight 408 mm x width 330 mm