Orator Henley christening a child, William Hogarth, 1727-1736 (ca.)

A christening in a well appointed domestic interior. The participants pay little attention to the religious ceremony: the godfather is admiring himself in a mirror; the clergyman ogles the godmother; the midwife fusses with the baby’s cap; the parents are absorbed only in themselves. No one notices that a child is tipping over the christening bowl and spilling the holy water, or that a dog gnaws at the brim of a hat fallen on the ground. Based with some differences on a painting by hogarth from ca. 1727-28. Mezzotint, printed in blue-green ink. Date: 1727-1736 (ca.). Medium: paper. Depicted People: Rev John Henley. Collection: British Museum. Orator Henley christening a child (BM 2017,7078.1)