A print sale

1.42 Rowlandson print sale.jpg

Creator

Rowlandson, Thomas.

Title

A print sale

Date

1788

Description

Thomas Rowlandson (1756–1827) was known for his satirical portraits of eighteenth century English life, and here he takes on print collectors and the sellers of prints. The auctioneer sits with his gavel at center, while his assistants display prints singly and in bound volumes. The bidders display all the traits Rowlandson loved to caricature: greed, envy, stupidity, arrogance, and dull complacency. While he skewers the collectors and their mania for acquisition, the jovial and prosperous-looking auctioneer is let off relatively lightly.