Excise inquisition erecting by English slaves under the scourge of their task-masters the excise officers, Dent, William
Excise inquisition erecting by English slaves under the scourge of their task-masters the excise officers, Dent, William, active 1783-1793, artist, England, en sanguine engraving 1790, a British satire on an attempt by William Pitt and George Rose to transfer to excise law certain import duties; standing in opposition is Edward Thurlow. The central image shows Britannia, wrapped in a blanket labeled Extension of Excise, being rocked to sleep in a cradle by Pitt and Rose. Another man, possibly William Mainwaring, is holding Britannia's spear and shield which is labeled Maner and saying By, by, lullaby; to the right of his feet is the British lion, blindfolded and chained to the ground. The destruction of the Bastille is shown in the upper right corner; by depicting the Bastille in a state of ruin, reference is made to the recent liberation of the French, and by implication, to the tyranny under which the British continue to live.
Size: 4999px × 3577px
Photo credit: © Artokoloro / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1783-1793, 1790, active, artist, attempt, blanket, britannia, british, central, dent, duties, edward, england, english, engraving, erecting, excise, george, image, import, inquisition, labeled, law, officers, opposition, pitt, rose, sanguine, satire, scourge, slaves, standing, task-masters, thurlow., transfer, william, wrapped
