The Apotheosis of Hoche
1798
Medium
etching, engraving, and aquatint printed in brown on laid paper [proof]
Dimensions
plate: 50.7 × 39.4 cm (19 15/16 × 15 1/2 in.) sheet: 53.9 × 42.1 cm (21 1/4 × 16 9/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Anonymous Gift
Accession Number
2019.52.1
Art Historical Context
James Gillray's *The Apotheosis ofoche* (1798) is a masterful example of British political caricature at its sharpest. Created during the tense years of the French Revolutionary Wars, this etching, engraving, and aquatint print—printed in brown ink on laid paper as a proof—satirizes the French general Lazare Hoche, who died young in 1797 after failed invasion attempts on Ireland. Gillray, a leading figure in the caricature movement, elevates Hoche to divine status ("apotheosis" meaning deification), likely mocking revolutionary hero-worship and British fears of French ambition. Printed on a g...