Connoisseurs, Thomas Rowlandson, 1799

Four elderly men peer pruriently at a picture on an easel (right) of a reclining venus. One sits, 'chapeau-bras', in an arm-chair, looking through a lorgnette, the others, behind, crane eagerly forward. Other pictures of similar subjects (one of susannah and the elders) are on the wall, one is on the ground behind the easel; all are heavily framed. All the men wear old-fashioned dress. 20 june 1799 etching with hand-colouring. Date: 1799. Dimensions: Height: 259 mm; Width: 195 mm (trimmed). Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. Connoisseurs (BM 1935,0522.9.17)