Tuesday, December 30, 2014

La Grande Bretagne motile; Das verstumelte Britanien, 1767-1768


La Grande Bretagne motile; Das verstumelte Britanien, artist unknown, 1767-1768, American Antiquarian Society.

Britannia is chained to a rock and dismembered. Her limbs are scattered about her, though Britannia looks more peeved than in pain. Each limb is marked with a different American holding: Philadelphia, Halifax, Boston, and New England. This is a re-imagining of the first plate in The Colonies Reduced, with one major difference: Jack Tar has joined her in bondage.


The figure may be more informed by Dutch sailors than English ones. Even so, his outfit is pretty average. He wears a short jacket ending just below the waist long trousers, plain stockings, pointed toe shoes, rectangular buckles, and a cocked hat with the point forward. The shape of his hat is a bit odd, and this may be where the Dutch influence comes in.

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