The frenchman sits in profile to the left, on the knee of the devil (right), who kneels on one knee to support him, and steadies him by encircling his body with his right arm. The devil is nude and muscular, with large feathered wings; he grins delightedly, left arm raised. His protégé, who is ragged but fashionable and not a sans-culotte, though wearing a bonnet-rouge, holds on his knee a frothing chamber-pot, and blows soap-bubbles from a long pipe. Other bubbles of varying sizes float to the left, filled with close ranks of infantry and inscribed with their places of destination. 'old england' issues from the pipe; the others are: 'vienne', 'flanders' (the largest), 'rome', 'prussia', 'hanover', 'amsterdam', 'sardinia', 'petersburg'. Beneath their feet are papers: 'asignets'. The scene is near the coast; at the water's edge sit three (dutch) frogs, their backs to the two figures, saying, "oh dear what can the matter be. I wish we was out of their bloody clutches sure some infurnel fiend protect them. " they face a burning town on the horizon. 2 novenber 1793. Etching. Date: 1793. Dimensions: Height: 260 mm; Width: 355 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Lazare Carnot. Collection: British Museum. A member of the French war department raising forses to conquer all the world (BM 1868,0808.6311)
Loading...
