Napoleon The Little in a Rage with His Great French Eagle!!
September 20, 1808
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 9/16 × 14 11/16 in. (26.8 × 37.3 cm) Plate: 9 5/8 × 13 5/8 in. (24.5 × 34.6 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
59.533.1179
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Napoleon The Little a Rage with His Great Eagle!!*, a vibrant hand-colored etching by British caricaturist Thomas Rowland, published by Rudolph Ackermann in London on September 20, 8. Measuring about 10 by 14 inches, this print captures Napoleon Bonaparte—derisively dubbed "The Little"—in a comically exaggerated fit of fury, clashing with the majestic eagle emblem of his French Empire. The hand-coloring technique, typical of early 19th-century satirical prints, adds lively hues that amplify the humor and make the work pop for viewers. Created amid the Napoleonic Wars, when Britain was...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Rudolph Ackermann, London|Napoléon Bonaparte · 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...