Italian Picture Dealers Humbugging My Lord Anglaise

Artist and publisher Thomas Rowlandson British

May 30, 1812

Not on view

A handsome English lord visiting Italy is introduced to a disreputable art dealer by an obese nobleman. The grimaces and gestures of the Italians suggest that they intend to defraud, or "humbug," the tourist. A voluptuous Mary Magdalene, purportedly by Guido Reni, is propped on a table for inspection and all the works on display undoubtedly are copies. When this print was published in 1812, Britain and France had been at war for two decades and Englishmen could not visit Italy. A partially erased date of 1806 in the lower right corner indicates that Rowlandson conceived the image when southern Italy remained accessible but issued it at a time when making a Grand Tour had become a nostalgic memory.

Artwork Details

Title: Italian Picture Dealers Humbugging My Lord Anglaise
Artist and publisher: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
Date: May 30, 1812
Medium: Hand-colored etching
Dimensions: Sheet: 12 5/8 × 9 3/16 in. (32.1 × 23.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Object Number: 59.533.1222
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Thomas Rowlandson

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Migrants, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor — Migrants
Thomas Rowlandson
1780–1827

Going to Ivy Bridge, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor — Going to Ivy Bridge
Thomas Rowlandson
1780–1827

The Sailor's Return from Active Service, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor — The Sailor's Return from Active Service
Thomas Rowlandson
1780–1827

Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785, Thomas Rowlandson British, Hand-colored etching — Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785
Multiple artists/makers
January 1794

Ships and Sailors, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor — Ships and Sailors
Thomas Rowlandson
late 18th–early 19th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.