An officer wearing boots, plumed cocked hat, and an enormous sabre, stands full-face, with shoulders hunched, a porte-crayon in his mouth. Under his right arm is a portfolio of 'caricatures', while crude caricature prints are pinned to the wall: 'wit' is a squatting woman looking over her shoulder to say "baiser!". 'character' is a quasi-lion with an ass's head inscribed 'this is a red lion'. A print of a jean-de-bry coat and a boot is inscribed 'classick studies'. A clumsy hottentot inscribed 'venus de medicis is grace'. A goat painting a recumbent nude on a canvas inscribed 'leith harbour is refined sentiment'. On a table against the wall (right) is a bottle of 'velno' (a quack remedy, see bmsat 7592), and two books: 'aretine's postures' and 'la pucelle'. Under the table is a large portfolio: 'hints from bunbury'; 'mat. Darly - lord townshend &c &c. ' a patterned carpet covers the floor. Beneath the title: '" - his satires are as keen as the back of a rasor; - and having but three ideas in the world, "two of them borrow'd, - & the third, nobody else would own. " -' 6 december 1799
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1799. Dimensions: Height: 335 mm; Width: 245 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Henry William Bunbury. Collection: British Museum. The Military Caricaturist. (BM 1851,0901.1004)
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