Marriage A-la-Mode, Plate IV, William Hogarth, 1745

"the toilette" (after the painting in the national gallery); a grand bedroom with the countess holding a morning levée attended by her hairdresser while the lawyer, silvertongue, arranges to meet her at a masquerade; others in the room include a female friend and effeminate men who pay rapt attention to a castrato singer accompanied by a flautist, a young black man who serves chocolate to the party, and a small black boy who points to the horns of a figure of actaeon purchased at an auction with other objects, including a fake mermaid; playing cards and invitations lie on the floor. 1745 etching and engraving. Date: 1745. Dimensions: Height: 385 mm; Width: 460 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Giovanni Carestini. Collection: British Museum. Marriage A-la-Mode, Plate IV (BM 1857,0228.67)