Hudibras Sallying Forth, plate two from Hudibras
February 1725/26
Medium
Etching and engraving in black on cream paper edge mounted on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.6 × 33.6 cm (9 11/16 × 13 1/4 in.); Plate: 27 × 34.5 cm (10 11/16 × 13 5/8 in.); Primary support: 27.3 × 34.8 cm (10 3/4 × 13 3/4 in.); Secondary support: 36.5 × 45.9 cm (14 3/8 × 18 1/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
184607
Art Historical Context
William Hogarth's *Hudibras Sallying*, the second plate from his 1726 series illustrating Samuel Butler's epic satirical poem *Hudibras*, captures the bumbling knight Hudibras his squire Ralpho off on a comically misguided adventure. Published in February 1725/26, this etching and engraving reflects Hogarth's mastery of 18th-century British satire, poking fun at Puritan hypocrisy and religious fanaticism decades after the English Civil War. The poem, a bestseller since 1663, mocked the era's zealots through Hudibras's pompous folly, and Hogarth's vivid scenes brought its humor to life for a wi...
About the Artist
William Hogarth · 1697–1764
William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English painter, printmaker, and pictorial satirist who became the first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Born into poverty in London, the son of a failed schoolmaster who was imprisoned for debt, Hogarth's early experiences with the harsh realities of 18th-century urban life profoundly shaped his artistic vision. After apprenticing with si...