The Golden Apple, or the Modern Paris
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 3/16 in. × 14 in. (25.8 × 35.5 cm) Plate: 9 13/16 × 13 11/16 in. (25 × 34.7 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
59.533.1792
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the lively world of 18th-century British satire, *The Golden Apple, or the Modern Paris* (1785) stands out as a collaborative etching by caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, alongside J. Phillips and notable aristocrats George, Prince of Wales (the future George IV), Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and Mary Isabella Manners, Duchess of Rutland. Produced on March 2, 1785, this print measures about 10 by 14 inches and exemplifies the era's etching technique—a process ideal for sharp, detailed lines that allowed affordable dissemination of biting social commentary through inexpensive reproduction...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|J. Phillips|George, Prince of Wales|Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire|Mary Isabella Manners, Duchess of Rutland · 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...