![Masquerades and Operas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Masquerades_and_Operas.jpg)
''The Bad Taste of the Town'' (also known as ''Masquerades and Operas'') is an early print by
William Hogarth
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like ...
, published in February 1723/24. The small print – by – mocks the contemporary fashion for foreign culture, including
Palladian architecture,
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
s based on the Italian
commedia dell'arte,
masquerades (masked balls), and Italian opera. The work combines two printmaking techniques –
etching
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
and
engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...
– with etched lines made in the plate using acid and engraved lines marked using a
burin.
Description
Outside the building to the left – probably
King's Theatre, Haymarket – a queue of masked people is being led to a masquerade ball by a
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...
or
satyr
In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, σειληνός ), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exa ...
bearing aloft a bag containing £1,000 accompanied by a figure wearing a
jester's cap and bells with a garter round his right leg (possibly intended to be the Prince of Wales, later
George II George II or 2 may refer to:
People
* George II of Antioch (seventh century AD)
* George II of Armenia (late ninth century)
* George II of Abkhazia (916–960)
* Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051)
* George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...
, who was said to enjoy masquerades).
![Senesino, Cuzzoni, Berenstadt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Senesino%2C_Cuzzoni%2C_Berenstadt.JPG)
A banner hanging above the entrance shows
Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough and two other noblemen kneeling before the Italian soprano opera singer
Francesca Cuzzoni, asking her "pray accept £8,000" to perform in London. The Earl is pouring money on the floor, and she draws it towards her with a rake, while two male singers stand behind. The banner is based on a 1723 caricature by another engraver of a performance of Handel's opera ''
Flavio
''Flavio, re de' Longobardi'' ("Flavio, King of the Lombards", HWV 16) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Nicola Francesco Haym, after Matteo Noris's ''Flavio Cuniberto''. It was Ha ...
'' which featured Cuzzoni as Emilia, with
Berenstadt as Flavio, and
Senesino as Guido.
Another sign advertises the conjuring act of
Isaac Fawkes
Isaac Fawkes (1675?–1732) (also spelt Fawks, Fawxs, Fauks and Faux) was an English conjurer and showman. The first record of Fawkes was an appearance by his son at Southwark Fair in 1722, but an advertisement of April of the same year boast ...
in the building's "Long room".
John James Heidegger
John James (Johann Jacob) Heidegger (19 June 1666 – 5 September 1749) was a Swiss count and leading impresario of masquerades in the early part of the 18th century.
The son of Zürich clergyman Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Johann Jacob Heidegger ...
, Swiss impresario, manager of the King's Theatre, Haymarket, and introducer of the masquerades to London, leans out of a window, identifiable by the letter "H..." on the window ledge under him.
To the right, another crowd waits outside
Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre to see
John Rich's commedia dell'arte pantomime ''Harlequin Doctor Faustus''. The
mitre
The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...
d soldiers guarding the buildings also hint at the patronage of
George I George I or 1 may refer to:
People
* Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631)
* George I of Constantinople (d. 686)
* George I of Antioch (d. 790)
* George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9)
* George I of Georgia (d. 1027)
* Yuri Dolgor ...
, a monarch born in Germany who did not speak English. A countryman with his staff looks on incredulously, as one of the city dwellers tries to interest him in the play.
In the background, Hogarth depicts the gate to
Burlington House – the London house of
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork, (25 April 1694 – 4 December 1753) was a British architect and noble often called the "Apollo of the Arts" and the "Architect Earl". The son of the 2nd Earl of Burlington and 3rd Ea ...
in
Piccadilly – labelled " of Art", topped by a sculpture of Burlington's favoured architect
William Kent
William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, bu ...
(KNT), lifted above
Michelangelo and
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...
. Hogarth preferred the old English
Baroque style over the new Palladian style preferred by Burlington and Kent, as exemplified by Burlington's residence at
Chiswick House
Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694– ...
. In the street outside, a trio of connoisseurs admire the prospect – one may be intended to be Burlington.
Hogarth contrasts the fashion for foreign entertainments with the neglect of their British equivalents. A woman in the centre foreground is pushing a wheelbarrow filled with the works of great English dramatists –
William Congreve
William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright and poet of the Restoration period. He is known for his clever, satirical dialogue and influence on the comedy of manners style of that period. He was also a mi ...
,
John Dryden
''
John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate.
He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...
,
Thomas Otway
Thomas Otway (3 March 165214 April 1685) was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for '' Venice Preserv'd'', or ''A Plot Discover'd'' (1682).
Life
Otway was born at Trotton near Midhurst, the parish of which his fathe ...
,
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, and
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richar ...
– being sold as "waste paper for shops". The first state of the print includes a reference to
Anthony Pasquin
John Williams (1761–1818) was an English poet, satirist, journalist and miscellaneous writer, best known by the pseudonym of Anthony Pasquin.
Life
He was born in London on 28 April 1761, and was sent in 1771 to Merchant Taylors' School. There ...
, replaced in later versions by
Ben Jonson
Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
.
A verse underneath the first version of the print comments:
Reception
Hogarth attempted to publish the print himself, to avoid the monopoly of the
Stationers' Company
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (until 1937 the Worshipful Company of Stationers), usually known as the Stationers' Company, is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was formed in ...
, and sold the print for cost one
shilling. The print was popular, but not a commercial success for Hogarth as half-price unauthorized copies appeared soon after its publication. Hogarth's problems with copyright infringement of his prints made him an advocate for copyright reform, which ultimately led to the
Engraving Copyright Act 1734
The Engraving Copyright Act 1734 or Engravers' Copyright Act (8 Geo.2 c.13) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain first read on 4 March 1734/35 and eventually passed on 25 June 1735 to give protections to producers of engravings. It is al ...
.
Later in 1724, Hogarth published ''
A Just View of the British Stage'', in which
Ben Jonson
Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
's ghost rises through a trapdoor and literally pisses on the idiocies of the theatre managers.
He followed up with his ''
Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme
''Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme'' (also known as ''The South Sea Scheme'') is an early print by William Hogarth, created in 1721 and widely published from 1724. It caricatures the financial speculation, corruption and credulity tha ...
'' – a similar composition with crowds between buildings to either side – and another 1724 engraving entitled ''
The Lottery
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', sold through the printsellers Mrs Chilcott in
Westminster Hall
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
and R Caldwell in
Newgate Street.
References
William Hogarth, ''The Bad Taste of the Town'', an etching British Museum
''The Bad Taste of the Town'' Victoria & Albert Museum
Hogarth, room 2 Exhibition at Tate Britain
University of York
The great showman ''The Guardian'', 13 January 2007
''Hogarth: The "modern moral subject", 1697–1732'' Ronald Paulson, p. 74-94
Masquerades and Operas – Burlington-gate la clé des langues
''The Question of Style in Philosophy and the Arts'' edited by Caroline Eck, James McAllister, Renée van de Vall, p. 54-56
''The Genuine Works of William Hogarth: Illustrated with Biographical Anecdotes, a Chronological Catalogue, and Commentary'', Volume 3 John Nichols, George Steevens, Thomas Phillips, p. 211-212
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bad Taste of the Town
Prints by William Hogarth
1724 works
18th-century etchings
18th-century engravings