The Tea-Tax-Tempest (The Oracle)
The Tea-Tax-Tempest (The Oracle). 1774. Art by John Dixon. Allegorical scene capturing an Irish artist’s response to the American Revolution. Father Time, at left, holds up a magic lantern (an early image projector) to reveal a view of the destruction of Britain with heraldic leopards fighting. America sits in the shadows, at right, wearing products from her realm: a string of pearls, a feathered headdress, and an animal-skin wrap. Her physical separation from her companions, representing Europe, Asia, and Africa, suggests the impending imperial rupture. Using gouache paint, an unknown artist altered Dixon’s original mezzotint print, which depicts a hopeful resolution to the conflict, to reveal anxiety about the outcome.
Size: 4000px × 3348px
Location: Ireland
Photo credit: © The Protected Art Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: allegory, american, dream, oracle, revolution, tax, tea, tempest
