File:Destruction of the French Collossus (BM 1868,0808.6780).jpg
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Captions
Summary
editDestruction of the French Collossus ( ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Artist |
Print made by: James Gillray
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Title |
Destruction of the French Collossus |
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Description |
English: The Colossus, emblem of French revolutionary bloodshed and aggression (and perhaps intended for Bonaparte), strides from Egypt (right), where the left foot rests on Pyramids, to 'France', where the right foot tramples on the 'Holy Bible' and a cross. Beneath the Bible lie the dismantled scales of justice. Above, an arm and the shield of Britannia emerge from dark clouds; in the hand is a sheaf of thunderbolts which smites the Colossus, striking off its head, a skull in which serpents twine; from this drops a bonnet-rouge in the form of a fool's cap. The arms and legs of the Colossus have also been broken, so that the figure is on the point of collapse. The severed right hand rests on a guillotine, inscribed 'Fraternité'. The decollated head of Louis XVI [see BMSat 8297, &c] hangs by the hair from the figure's neck. From the left hand drops an open book: 'Religion de la Nature [cf. BMSats 8350, 9240] Injustice Oppression Murder Destruction'. The figure wears only a tricolour sash and belt in which are a pistol and a bloody dagger. Its hands and feet are dyed with blood above the wrists and ankles.
Hand-coloured etching |
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Depicted people | Associated with: Napoléon I, Emperor of the French | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Date |
1798 date QS:P571,+1798-00-00T00:00:00Z/9 |
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Medium | paper | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Dimensions |
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Collection |
institution QS:P195,Q6373 |
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Current location |
Prints and Drawings |
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Accession number |
1868,0808.6780 |
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Notes |
(Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', VII, 1942) One of many prints illustrating the exultation at the Battle of the Nile, see BMSat 9250, &c. It illustrates the over-estimation of the results of the battle, great as these were. See F. Charles-Roux, 'L'Angleterre et l'Éxpédition française en Égypte', Cairo, 1925, i. 58 ff. Grego, 'Gillray', pp. 248-9. Wright and Evans, No. 213. De Vinck, No. 4992. Reprinted, 'G.W.G.', 1830. |
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Source/Photographer | https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-6780 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Permission (Reusing this file) |
© The Trustees of the British Museum, released as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 |
Licensing
editThis image is in the public domain because it is a mere mechanical scan or photocopy of a public domain original, or – from the available evidence – is so similar to such a scan or photocopy that no copyright protection can be expected to arise. The original itself is in the public domain for the following reason:
This tag is designed for use where there may be a need to assert that any enhancements (eg brightness, contrast, colour-matching, sharpening) are in themselves insufficiently creative to generate a new copyright. It can be used where it is unknown whether any enhancements have been made, as well as when the enhancements are clear but insufficient. For known raw unenhanced scans you can use an appropriate {{PD-old}} tag instead. For usage, see Commons:When to use the PD-scan tag. Note: This tag applies to scans and photocopies only. For photographs of public domain originals taken from afar, {{PD-Art}} may be applicable. See Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag. |
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Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
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current | 16:46, 9 May 2020 | 1,167 × 1,600 (647 KB) | Copyfraud (talk | contribs) | British Museum public domain uploads (Copyfraud/BM) Satirical prints in the British Museum 1798 #3,094/12,043 |
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Orientation | Normal |
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Horizontal resolution | 300 dpi |
Vertical resolution | 300 dpi |
Software used | Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 |
File change date and time | 13:01, 1 August 2006 |
Color space | Uncalibrated |