The Dancing Dogs, as performed at Sadler's Wells, with universal applause, William Dent, 1784

The devil seated (left) plays a fiddle to which three dogs, with the heads of fox, burke, and north, dance on their hind legs. Fox (left), wearing an oriental turban and a collar inscribed 'carlo khan', has a fox's brush inscribed 'reform'. Burke (centre), with the body of a lean spotted dog, wears spectacles and a jesuit's biretta (cf. Bmsat 6026) and his own tight pig-tail queue; his collar is inscribed 'st omer'. His thin tail is inscribed 'oeconomy'. He faces fox, his back to north, who has a fat, spotted body, wearing a lady's muslin cap; his collar inscribed 'boreas' and his tail 'virtue'. The devil says, "i'll make you dance ye dogs my fiddle de dee". 14 july 1784 etching. Date: 1784. Dimensions: Height: 238 mm; Width: 352 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Edmund Burke. Collection: British Museum. The Dancing Dogs, as performed at Sadler's Wells, with universal applause (BM 1868,0808.5357)