| Method | Etching with early hand colouring |
| Artist | William Heath |
| Published | Ess De. They Seem to be Intruding Here. Pubd. by T. McLean 26 Haymarket where Political & Other Charicatures are Daily brought out. [c.1828] |
| Dimensions | Image 242 x 355 mm, Plate 260 x 372 mm, Sheet 278 x 410 mm |
| Notes |
A satire of arguments and factionalism in the parish of St Pauls, featuring a number of Covent Garden personalities at a feast. The scene draws broad inspiration from the Greek myth of Phineus, whose punishment was to be forever seated at a feast that would be periodically fouled by the horrible bird-bodied harpies, never allowing him to eat. A dining table has been laid with all manner of extravagant dishes, and a crowd of well-fed Covent Garden parishioners have gathered to enjoy their feast. On a nearby rooftop, the Devil stokes the flames of discontent and argument by upending the table, and loosing an army of harpies upon the diners. The Devil is goat-legged, serpent tailed, and bat winged, with a crooked nose, forked beard, and two enormous horns. The harpies are members of the Parish council's opposing faction, their bodies terminating in snaky tails. One, brandishing a pair of boots, is the shoemaker T.W. Dow, while another pummels a corpulent vestryman who cries 'Oh my Nose - Rose water, rose water, oh oh oh.' The central figures of the scene are also central to the ruckus. In April 1828, Corder was elected Vestry Clerk, beating Roach by 7 votes. Roach refuses to be cowed, fleeing on a flying cockroach with the Parish Accounts held high, as his flatulent mount delivers a backshot at the furious Harpy Corder, holding aloft his expenses bill. An inscription along the top border reads: 'Now by St Paul's the work goes bravely on.' William Heath (1795-1840) was a British artist best known for his published engravings including caricatures, political cartoons, and commentary on contemporary life. His early works often dealt with military scenes, but from about 1820 on he focused on satire. Some of his works were published under the pseudonym "Paul Pry". Thomas McLean (1788-1875) was a British publisher and printseller, active from the early 1820s to his death. He traded initially from a print shop on Haymarket, before moving into lithography at a new premises on St Martin's Lane in the 1840s. BM Satires 15529 Condition: Clean crisp impression. Minor time toning and creasing to edges of sheet, not affecting plate. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £300.00 |
| Stock ID | 50870 |