In a room filled with skulls of the famous, the phrenologist Gall examines William Pitt the Younger and Gustavus IV, the King of Sweden, both currently plagued by Napoleon. Coloured etching, 1806.

Date:
1806
Reference:
16174i
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view In a room filled with skulls of the famous, the phrenologist Gall examines William Pitt the Younger and Gustavus IV, the King of Sweden, both currently plagued by Napoleon. Coloured etching, 1806.

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In a room filled with skulls of the famous, the phrenologist Gall examines William Pitt the Younger and Gustavus IV, the King of Sweden, both currently plagued by Napoleon. Coloured etching, 1806. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Description

Pitt the Younger had a chequered ministry and was prime minister during the war with France in 1793. Gustavus IV was also an opponent of Napoleon and was deposed due to his insanity in 1806. Helfand (op. cit. note 10) suggests that both are consulting Gall for help in containing Napoléon's domination of Europe

Publication/Creation

Paris (Rue du Coq, no. 15) : Martinet

Physical description

1 print : etching, with watercolour ; platemark 26 x 29.1 cm

Lettering

Pitt et le roi de Suede, consultant incognito le docteur Gall ... Lettering continues: Le roi [:] amoi, amoi... [Gall:] Vous! folie, folie, folie... Pitt [:] eh bien, docteur? le D. Projèts affreux, crimes de toute espece. [On the shelves:] Crânes des grands scelerats. Crânes des grands hommes [the skulls categorised here are numbered; one says '1848']. Homere. Virgile. Ocanthus cheval d'Achille. Bucéphale, cheval d'Alexandre. Le modèle de la tête du cheval de Troye. Eve. Adam. Mathusalem. Noë. Samson. Goliath. L'ânesse de Balaam. Cheval de Mardochée. Elephant de Darius

References note

W. Helfand, 'Medicine and pharmacy in French political prints', Transactions & studies of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 4th ser, Vol. 42, No.1, July 1974

Reference

Wellcome Collection 16174i

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