William Hogarth - «Five Orders of Periwigs»

Five Orders of Periwigs (HD download)

Many of the Heads as well as Wigs in this Plate were recognized by those who had been spectators of the Coronation of King George the Third. The first Head of the second row was designed to represent Lord Melcombe; and those of Bishops Warburton, Mawson, and Squire, are found in the group. The Female Head, without a Coronet, at the left-hand corner, was intended for Queen Charlotte.

The Advertisement engraved on the Plate annexed, as well as the whole Print, is said to have been a ridicule on Mr. Stewart's "Antiquities of Athens;" in which, with minute accuracy, are given the measurements of all the members of Greek Architecture. Hogarth's opinion of Mr. Stewart's labours may be gathered from the following fragment, which he wrote concerning this Print: "There is no great difficulty in measuring the length, breadth, or height of any figures, where the parts are made up of plain lines. It requires no more skill to take the dimensions of a pillar or cornice than to measure a square box; and yet the man who does the latter is neglected, and he who accomplishes the former, is considered as a miracle of genius: but I suppose he receives his honours for the distance he has travelled to do his business."

Mr. Walpole, in a Letter to George Montagu, Esq. Sept. 1761, says, g the enclosed Print will divert you, especially the Baroness in the right-hand corner — so ugly, and so satisfied. The Athenian head was intended for Stewart; but was so like, that Hogarth was forced to cut off the nose."

Pour citer cette ressource :

William Hogarth - Five Orders of Periwigs, La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), juin 2013. Consulté le 22/11/2024. URL: https://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/arts/peinture/william-hogarth-five-orders-of-periwigs