The Bear the Bull Dog and the Monkey
: , 1812. Item #03416
Napoleon Caught Between the Russian Bear and Wellington's Bulldog
A Fine Original Pen-and-Ink and Watercolor Drawing
of the Celebrated 1812 Anti-Napoleonic Caricature
[HEATH, William, after, attributed design]. The Bear the Bull Dog and the Monkey. [England, ca. 1812].
Original pen and ink and watercolor drawing on wove paper. Sheet size 16 3/8 x 11 1/2 inches (415 x 291 mm.). The complete title and eight-line manuscript verse preserved beneath the image, the final line formerly concealed beneath the mount. Evidence of former mounting on verso. A remarkably fresh and attractive survival, the watercolor retaining strong and vivid coloring.
A fine original contemporary watercolor drawing after one of the most striking British anti-Napoleonic caricatures produced during Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign of 1812.
Napoleon is grotesquely transformed into a monkey in military uniform and enormous bicorne hat, simultaneously assailed by two formidable adversaries. Behind him the Russian bear envelops Napoleon in its paws, while from the front the British bulldog - its collar prominently inscribed “Wellington” - tears at his chest and decorations. Beneath the struggling group lies a sheet inscribed “French Policy / French Cruelty / & Plunder.”
The allegory is wonderfully direct. Napoleon, reduced to the role of a troublesome performing monkey, is caught between Russia and Britain. The bear represents the Russian Empire, invaded by Napoleon's Grande Armée in June 1812, while the bulldog represents Wellington and the continuing British pressure upon French forces in the Peninsular War.
Beneath the large carefully executed title, “THE BEAR the BULL DOG and the MONKEY,” appears the complete manuscript verse:
“Dame Mischief may say ‘spare my Monkey good Sirs
But I'll tell you what's best to be done
The Villain delights in such mischievous stirs
That 'tis wisest to stop all his fun
So Bruin & Growler each play your part
And worry this troublesome Blade,
Then Peace shall again delight evr'y Heart
And the Rogue will be robbed of his Trade”
The published caricature appeared in London on 24 August 1812, scarcely two months after Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The Bodleian Library's impression, published by William Holland, has a platemark measuring 358 x 250 mm. and is catalogued as attributed to William Heath.
The attribution of the design is not entirely settled. The Bodleian attribution supports the traditional association with William Heath, under whose name the present drawing has previously been catalogued, while the National Gallery of Art catalogs The Bear, the Bull Dog and the Monkey under Thomas Rowlandson. In the absence of a signature or other definitive evidence on the present sheet, it seems prudent to retain the traditional Heath association while describing the work as an original contemporary drawing after the published design, rather than attributing the drawing itself directly to either Heath or Rowlandson.
Close examination of the present sheet supports its identification as a drawing rather than a hand-colored impression of the published etching: the pen lines exhibit variations in width and ink density, freely executed hatching and stippling, and occasional pooling and interruption characteristic of work executed directly upon the paper. The watercolor washes similarly display the irregular edges and concentrations of pigment expected of hand application.
The exceptionally close correspondence between this drawing and the published caricature - in composition, lettering, coloring and minute details - is noteworthy. Whether the drawing was produced simply as a contemporary copy of the celebrated satire or had some closer relationship to its production cannot presently be established.
An unusually large and highly accomplished contemporary watercolor rendering of a memorable image of Napoleonic satire, preserving its complete title and verse.
Cf. British Museum Satires 11896.
Price: $750.00