The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver

Label

Gillray was known for his invention of "Little Bony," a caricature of Napoleon Bonaparte (noted for his short stature) as a diminutive man in French military dress. Gillray’s depiction of a ranting, ineffectual leader quickly became famous. The reasons for depicting one’s enemy as miniature are obvious, but in this print Gillray takes it further, casting Napoleon as Gulliver from Jonathan Swift’s classic novel. The fictious king and queen of Brobdingnag in Swift’s satire are literal giants whom Gillray positions as the king and queen of England. They keenly watch Napoleon/Gulliver, buffeted about in a little boat, while members of their family and court laugh at his antics. This print, like much of Gillray’s late work, is drawn after the idea and design of an amateur, but Gillray gives it his usual flourishes. The static positioning of the figures, though, is atypical for Gillray, whose arrangements of figures are usually more dynamic.

From the 2021 exhibition A Legacy for Learning: The Jane and Raphael Bernstein Collection, curated by Jami C. Powell, Curator of Indigenous Art; Katherine W. Hart, Senior Curator of Collections and Barbara C. & Harvey P. Hood 1918 Curator of Academic Programming; John R. Stomberg Ph.D, Virginia Rice Kelsey 1961s Director; Jessica Hong, Associate Curator of Global Contemporary Art; and Melissa McCormick, Professor of Japanese Art and Culture at Harvard University

Exhibition History

Pinpricks and Pomposity: The Inventiveness of English Visual Satire, A Legacy for Learning: The Jane and Raphael Bernstein Collection, Class of 1967 Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 17–August 28, 2021.

Publication History

John R. Stomberg, A Legacy for Learning: The Jane and Raphael Bernstein collection; Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth College, Hood Museum of Art, 2021, Plate 23, p.40, listed p.98.

Provenance

Andrew Edmunds, London, England; sold to Jane and Raphael Bernstein, Ridgewood, New Jersey, Novemeber 26th, 1992; lent to present collection, 2010; given to present collection, 2014.

This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.

We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu

Subject