Who laughs to see these Children rear, a Structure which a breath o'erthrows...

Engraver Attributed to Elisha Kirkall British

ca. 1740

Not on view

In this mezzotint an elegantly dressed boy and girl have erected a house of cards on a low, ornately carved stool on a terrace or balcony. They gesture as though to warn the viewer not to topple their construction. A poem in the lower margin comments on the humor and cost of the cards which soon will fall. An impression at the British Museum is attributed to Kirkall and their cataloguing points out that the image derives from a French engraving by François Joullain (1697–1778) published ca. 1725.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Who laughs to see these Children rear, a Structure which a breath o'erthrows...
Engraver: Attributed to Elisha Kirkall (British, Sheffield 1682–1742 London)
Artist: After Charles Antoine Coypel (French, Paris 1694–1752 Paris)
Publisher: George Bickham, Jr. (British, London ca. 1704–1771 Richmond, Surrey)
Date: ca. 1740
Medium: Mezzotint
Dimensions: Plate: 8 13/16 × 6 1/4 in. (22.4 × 15.9 cm)
Sheet: 10 11/16 × 7 7/16 in. (27.2 × 18.9 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1966
Object Number: 66.544.59
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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