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1 of 253523 objects
Robert Seymour (1798-1836)
The Great Joss and his Playthings. c.1829
Etching with hand colouring | 25.2 x 35.3 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 751279
Robert Seymour (1798-1836)
The Great Joss and his Playthings c.1829
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Hand-coloured etching of George IV as an obese man in Chinese dress, sitting atop a large tea-pot, smoking, and holding the neck of his pet giraffe.He sits smoking a pipe shaped as a 'C' for Conyngham, from which 'Oh 'tis love 'tis love 'tis love' emerges. Beneath him is a large gold teapot, the spout of which produces steam and coins which are eagerly gathered by another figure in Chinese dress, perhaps representing John Nash. Beside this figure, three other men construct 'toys' for the King; one completes a model of Buckingham House as another works on a second second building, while a third carries a large plank bearing small figures of mounted Life Guards with drawn sabres, lead by a cockerel with the profile and hat of the Duke of Wellington. Above the King, a snake with the head of a Life Guard writhes, while opposite, a man cowers behind papers marked 'Plan of Intended Improvements at Windsor', standing below a shelf filled with discarded models marked 'Lots of Chuches', surmounted by a fishing rod and a mounted fish 'Caught at Virgina Water.'
A satire depicting George IV toward the end of his reign, when the King was spending much of his time with his mistress, Lady Conyngham. The pair spent these years in seclusion at his cottage by Virginia Water, where George IV spent his time fishing and visiting his menagerie at Sandpit Gate. This satire pokes fun at the King's tastes for exotic luxuries and his obsession with building and improving royal residences at great cost. As one of his exotic 'toys' he holds a giraffe. In 1827 the King was given a Nubian giraffe as a diplomatic gift from Mehmet Ali, Pasha of Egypt, and it formed part of his collection of exotic animals. However, the animal suffered from poor health as the result of the long journey and a poor diet in captivity and died in the autumn of 1829. Following its death George arranged for the giraffe to be stuffed by the young taxidermist John Gould. The giraffe was one of many symbols used by satirists to criticise George's extravagant and frivolous lifestyle.
Provenance
Gift of Lionel and Maureen Lambourne.
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Creator(s)
(publisher)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Etching with hand colouring
Measurements
25.2 x 35.3 cm (sheet of paper)
Category
Object type(s)