Death and Bonaparte, The Two Kings of Terror
Medium
Hand-colored etching; second issue
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 5/8 × 11 13/16 in. (24.4 × 30 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
59.533.2100
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the turbulent final days of the Napoleonic Wars, British satirist Thomas Rowlandson *Death and Bonaparte, The Two of Terror* (1814), a hand-colored etching published by Rudolphermann in London. This-issue print, measuring about 9½ by 11¾ inches, exemplifies the era's explosive political caricature tradition. Rowlandson, a master of exaggerated, humorous vignettes, pairs Napoleon I with the Grim Reaper amid scenes of soldiers, cannons, and skeletons—equating the emperor's conquests with death's inevitable harvest. The title's biting wit underscores British propaganda's role in mocking Napol...
About the Artist
Napoléon Bonaparte|Thomas Rowlandson|Rudolph Ackermann, London (French| ) · 1769 | –1821 |
French, Ajaccio 1769–1821 St. Helena|