A French Dentist Shewing a Specimen of His Artificial Teeth and False Palates
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 9 3/16 × 12 13/16 in. (23.4 × 32.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.1412
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson, a prolific British caricaturist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, captures the absurdities of everyday life in his satirical hand-colored etching *A French Dentist Shewing a Specimen of His Artificial Teeth and False Palates* (1811). The scene humorously depicts a flamboyant dentist proudly displaying his grotesque inventions—fake teeth and palates—to wide-eyed patients, blending exaggeration with sharp social commentary. Rowlandson's style, rooted in the caricature tradition, pokes fun at quackery and vanity, reflecting the era's fascination with (and skepticism to...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...