A fantastic theatre scene, showing stage, orchestra, and two boxes on each side of the stage. On the stage the fall of amsterdam is represented by a number of frogs (burghers) who hasten obsequiously to submit to the stadholder. William v, much caricatured as a short fat man wearing military dress with plumed helmet, gorget, and jack-boots, stands with an uplifted sabre, dripping blood, about to cut the throat of a frog, who kneels, holding out a purse in each hand. His sabre is inscribed 'w. De v'; he straddles across the decapitated heads and limbs of his frog-subjects; under his left foot is a standard decorated with three storks. A mutilated frog jumps from the stage into the orchestra from which rise the flames of hell. Other frogs disappear into the flames, where demons act as musicians; one plays a gridiron with a pitchfork, two others sing. Dominating these musicians is the half length figure of a lean military officer playing the flute, in gauntlet gloves, his eyes fixed on the stage. The frogs who hasten towards the stadholder have expressions of terror and are dressed as dutchmen. One proffers a large key inscribed 'stadt house', another a pail of 'milk', another a beehive, another a cask of 'butter', another a keg of 'holland gin'. Behind william v the princess of orange (left) stands with her hands on her hips, smiling coquettishly over her shoulder at her husband, the word 'kiss' issuing from her mouth. Suppliant frogs fawn upon her. The background of this scene is a city wall (right) (amsterdam) and clouds (left), across which straddles a grotesque figure of fame blowing two trumpets. Above the proscenium the words 'sic transit gloria mundi' replace the customary 'veluti in speculum'. Monarchs watch the performance from the boxes. In the upper box on the right louis xvi leans forward in consternation, dropping his snuff-box, and saying, "me am dam!" in the lower box george iii stands looking up, shaking a club inscribed 'oak' and saying "i'm ready for you". He puts a foot on the front of the box as if about to climb up to louis. From the upper box on the left catherine of russia leans out, shaking her fist at the sultan of turkey in the box below. She says "blast you, you old goat! to keep so many women shut up in your seraglio. I'll turn over a new leaf & allow every woman 20000 men". Behind her stands the emperor joseph ii scowling down at the sultan, his right hand on her bare breast, his left fist clenched. He wears a fool's cap decorated with the habsburg eagle as in bmsat 7180. The sultan stands in his box, drawing his sabre; he scowls up at the empress, saying, "by our holy prophet & sacred mecca, i'll curb that wanton spirit". Behind him stand veiled ladies of the seraglio. 1 november 1787
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1787. Dimensions: Height: 332 mm; Width: 448 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Catherine II, Empress of Russia. Collection: British Museum. Amsterdam in a dam'd predicament,-or-The Last Scene of the Republican Pantomime. (BM 1851,0901.372)
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