Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). Burning (the) Rumps at Temple-Barr. Down with the rump parliament. The 1653 symbolic burning of the parliament that in 1648 Cromwell cleaned of its presbyterian members as a milestone for his further show of power. It then executed Charles I instead of holding negotiations with him and thus rang in the Puritan republic which itself almost turned into a Cromwell monarchy. Place of the event of 20 April the London gate Temple Bar. One of the iconoclasts with the convenant of the presbyterian Scots in his hands, another one holding up the banner:

Etching + engraving. (1726.) Inscribed: 11 (by the publisher) / W. Hogarth Inv. delin. et sculp. (in the subject border below right) / Burning e/y (the) Rumps at Temple Barr. 27.7 x 51.6 cm.

HUDIBRAS XI. – Nagler 10-11; Hogarth Catalog Zurich, 1983, ills. 11 (2^nd state, inscribed “in the subject below left”!). – 6-quatrain subtext abridged from Butler’s poem. –– Impression on strong paper from the plate reworked by the royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834, “earned applause early”, Nagler) about 1822 (“Even these impressions became relatively rare today though”, Art Gallery Esslingen 1970; and Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4^th ed., VIII [1888], 625: “A fine edition”).

(Laaths, Geschichte der Weltliteratur, 1953, p. 375), a “satiric scourge” (Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4^th ed., III, SW693/I) on the politically just sacked Puritanism and the best-known work of its creator esteemed by Charles II,

SAMUEL  BUTLER

(Streensham, Worcestersh, 1612/13 – London 1680), as result of his impressions in the employ of Cromwell’s Colonel Sir Samuel Luke, „at which religious and political sects were about” (Meyers). Remaining incomplete the first two parts of the epic were published in 1663/64, a third one in 1678, then, joined, long-lived through the centuries. In three cantos each

“ describing in rough, mostly eightsyllabic songs (later known as ‚hudibrastic verse‘) the loosely connected, grotesque adventures of two Puritans, the knight Hudibras and his shield-bearer Ralpho. Hogarth has engraved two different sets of illustrations to this poem: twelve large, carefully executed engravings he has created on his own, independently of a publisher, and published in February 1726, and seventeen smaller ones which have more the character of woodcuts and presumably done before, but were published the following April only in a poem edition. These follow the course of the action while the large sheets only represent the decisive scenes with an abridgement as legend … Epic and pictures are an antiheroic satire on Puritanism and sectarianism ”

(Margrit Bachofen-Moser in Hogarth Catalogue Zurich, 1983, pp. 25 ff. illustrating the large version in partly differing arrangement).

The Hudibras set – Thieme-Becker judge – is “of decisive significance for Hogarth’s development.

Here  lies  the  key  to  the  understanding  of  the  satirist  H. ”

(Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler, vol. XVII, 1924, p. 300/II).

And Austin Dobson in the Encyclopedia Britannica of 1911 :

“ These (plates Hogarth) himself valued highly, and they are the best of his book illustrations. But he was far too individual to be the patient interpreter of other men’s thoughts, and it is not in this direction that his successes are to be sought … (And generally resuming) If we regard him – as he loved to regard himself – as ‚author‘ rather than ‚artist‘, his place is with the great masters of literature – with the Thackerays and Fieldings, the  Cervantes and Molières. ”

“ The negotiations the parliament meanwhile (in 1648) had entered with the (imprisoned) king (Charles I) and which were drawing to a close caused new acts of violence by the army after Cromwell was back from Scotland … and in such a way on 6 + 7 December

the  parliament  had  been  brought  to  heel

by  expel  of  all  presbyterian  members ”

and demoted to the “Rump Parliament”, not without

“ to  scatter  the  rest  by  musketeers ”

five years later, what is subject of the sheet here, while Cromwell stationed himself at the lead of a new executive board, ergo over the parliament. In which he had already practised eight years ago. Then when in April 1645 for thoroughly given timeless reason he took care of parliamentary integrity, causing resignations, by the so-called

Bill  of  Self-Denial

according to which

“ no  member  of  parliament  may  hold  a  civil  or  military  post ”

“he himself maintained the command of the mounted troops, the second post in the army, by saving clause”. Nevertheless,

“ but the posterity get to the opinion that C. was one of the essential founders of England’s greatness and one of the most outstanding statesmen of all times ”

(quotes from Meyers Konvers.-Lex., 4^th ed., IV [1880], 344 f.).

Offer no. 14,730 / EUR  390. / Export price EUR  371. (c. US$ 596.) + shipping

– – – The Same. Engraving by Thomas Cook (ca. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Pl. XI. / Hogarth pinx^t. / HUDIBRAS. / T. Cook & Son sc. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, May 1^st. 1808. Subject size 11.2 x 19.5 cm.

Cook „made a name for himself as Hogarth engraver, too (1795-1803) whose complete work he has reproduced” (Thieme-Becker VII, 1912, p. 348/I) and whose original format he maintained in contrast to all later Hogarth editions, which moreover mostly don’t contain the consequently rarer Hudibras. Several works not published by Hogarth himself had been engraved by Cook for the first time as he then met with approval by a contemporary connoisseur as Maximilian Specht von Sternburg, too. But here present in Cook’s popular later, smaller version with the subtext being replaced by the series title. – In contrast to the Hogarth engraving, surely worked in reverse (repeated left-handedness) as in many cases, here in correct sense as known for Cook. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark and this chiefly in the outer part slightly foxed and browned resp.
Offer no. 8,858 / EUR  135. (c. US$ 217.) + shipping

Further single sujets of the set available in several qualities.

„ Best her Niemeyer, De prenten zijn vanmiddag in goede staat gearriveerd. Alleen al het uitpakken is een genot! Ze zien er prachtig uit (vooral The Idel ’prentice is een juweel) … Wat dat betreft, zijn eigenlijk alle prenten die u mij hebt toegezonde, van uitstekende kwaliteit … “

(de heer P. E., 1. Februar 2008)