A travesty of a half length portrait of s. Ireland: ('hamilton pinxt s = ireland fect. '). In both ireland wears the dress of a rubens picture, cf. Bmsat 7020, and looks over his right shoulder, holding up folds of drapery which hang from the left shoulder. The original is young and handsome, with well-dressed hair, tied and falling on his shoulder. [the b. M. Impression is dated in a contemporary hand 'octr 1785'. Listed in bromley's 'catalogue', p. 390. ] gillray follows closely the pose and dress of the original, but the head is that of an older man, with a sly smile; his short curling hair recedes from his forehead. In his hand is a book, 'ireland shakspe. . ' beneath the title: 'mr bromley in his catalogue &c. P. 390. Has erroneously put this portrait into his seventh class. - it ought to have appeared in the tenth. See the contents of it. P. 449. "such cursed assurance,"
"is past all endurance. " maid of the mill. '
beneath the vignetted design: 'inscription under a picture of the editor of shakespeare's manuscripts, 1796. \ by the revd william mason, author of elfrida & caractacus [actually by george steevens, [sidney lee in 'd. N. B. ', s. V. Steevens (confirmed by the libel proceedings); in his 'd. N. B. ' article on ireland he attributed the lines to mason. ] parodying dryden's lines on milton]. "four forgers, born in one prolific age,
"much critical acumen did engage. "the first, was soon by doughty douglas scar'd
" tho' johnson would have screen'd him, had he dared;*
"the next had all the cunning of a scot;†
"the third, invention, genius,- nay what not?‡
"fraud, now exhausted, only could dispense
"to her fourth son, their three-fold impudence. * lauder † macpherson ‡ chatterton' 1 december 1797
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1797. Dimensions: Height: 229 mm; Width: 142 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Samuel Ireland. Collection: British Museum. Notorious Characters No.1 (BM 1851,0901.884)
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