Discordant Matrimony, John Goldar, 1765

A sequel to bmsat 6148, 6149, 6150. The interior of a parlour. The husband (right) leans on a table looking towards a meretricious-looking maidservant (left) who has just brought in two children: a little girl whom she holds in her arms, and an older boy who drags across the floor a broken guitar which is harnessed to a toy horse. The maid looks alluringly at her master, a paper hangs from her pocket inscribed "the willing maid". The lady, who appears to be ill, is seated by a circular table, leaning her head on her hand. She looks with an expression of distress towards her husband. On the table is an open book inscribed "inconstancy a poem - eternal love let no man swear", and medicine phials, one labelled "a composing draught". A dog licks her hand. A black servant stands by the table holding two other phials; he watches the maidservant with a scowl. The pictures on the walls, the books and the behaviour of the animals all indicate the inconstancy of the husband: two dogs (right) coupled by a chain snarl at each other, their fore-paws resting on a book, "on the legality of divorces". A monkey (right) seated on a toy-drum on a chair holds an open book, "paradise lost hail wedded love mysterious law". A book falls from the table inscribed, "the scene is changed or the faithless husband". The children's toys include three dolls: a king in ermine robes, crown and sceptre, a bishop, and a harlequin.;after john collet, plate 4 from a series of four. C. 1765-66, this impression a later reissue dated 1782. 29 june 1782 etching and engraving. Date: 1765. Dimensions: Height: 412 mm; Width: 470 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Thomas Bradford. Collection: British Museum. Discordant Matrimony (BM 1859,0709.676)