Terms and conditions of use
The freemen triumphant or The mare foal'd of her folly
(1789)
Medium
hand-coloured etching
Measurements
17.5 × 57.3 cm (image) 21.0 × 59.4 cm (plate) 22.2 × 62.1 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1944
Gallery location
17th & 18th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Edinburgh-born artist Isaac Cruikshank moved to London at the age of twenty and soon became known for his sharp social and political satires. In The freemen triumphant or The mare foal’d of her folly, Cruikshank targets members of the Rochester Corporation, all of whom had recently been tried for embezzlement of city funds at an assize court in Maidstone. Depicted in a humiliating procession back to Rochester, the officials are portrayed with asses’ heads to underscore their foolishness. Led by the ‘Mare’ – Mayor Matthews – the group is pursued by outraged townspeople.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
London, England
Catalogue/s Raisonné
Krumbhaar 394; BM Satires 7552
Printing/Publishing
published by S. W. Fores, London
Inscription
printed in ink l.r.: Londn (n in superscript) pubd (d in superscript) August 18 by S W Fores No 3 Piccadilly
printed in ink l.c.l.-l.c.r.: the FREEMAN triumphant, or the MARE foal'd of here FOLLY,
printed in ink (in image) u.l.-l.r.: (lines of speech, text on signs and text labelling each figure)
Accession Number
1290-4
Departments
International Prints / International Prints and Drawings
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Joe White Bequest
Subjects (general)
Human Figures Humour and Satire Law, Civics and Protest
Subjects (specific)
caricatures creatures donkeys men (male humans) political cartoons satire (artistic device)
Movements
Georgian