A keen-sighted politician finding out the British conquests., James Gillray, 1795

A companion print to bmsat 8659. Grenville seated in an ornate armchair peers near-sightedly at a map of 'the globe' in two hemispheres which he holds up to his face. The eastern hemisphere, at which he is not looking, shows an exaggeratedly large tract of 'french conquests'. His posteriors and legs, very solid in bmsat 8659, are thin. He sits before a light rectangular table on which are ink-stand and pens and two books, 'court calender' and 'locke on human understanding' (as in bmsat 8659). On the wall are two pictures, the subjects merely indicated: 'the treasury' (left) shows the arched gate and stone wall of many satires; 'brittania triumphant': britannia seated with spear and shield. A patterned carpet completes the design. Grenville fixes his attention on scarcely visible successes in the w. Indies, ignoring the french conquests in europe. The 'court calender' and 'the treasury' indicate eagerness for the perquisites of office, cf. Bmsat 8061 (1792). 8 june 1795 hand-coloured etching. Date: 1795. Dimensions: Height: 330 mm; Width: 253 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: William Wyndham Grenville, Baron Grenville. Collection: British Museum. A keen-sighted politician finding out the British conquests. (BM 1851,0901.738)