Coalition dance.

James Gillray

Coalition dance.

London, W Humphrey April 5^th 1785

Etching

Original hand colouring.

25 x 350 mm

Overall time staining

£380

North, Fox, and Burke, holding hands, dance round a terminal surmounted by a bust whose face is covered by a closed book, the ‘Whole Duty of Man’. An owl perches on the head of the bust; round the terminal is a scroll inscribed “K. Wisdom 3d”, to show that the bust is that of George III. Seated at the foot of the terminal on a stone is a demon, grinning diabolically and playing a fiddle. Fox capers behind the demon, his right hand holding North’s left, his left hand takes that of Burke, who is dressed as a Jesuit as in BMSat 6026, but wearing a high biretta below which his wig and queue hang down. A cross and rosary are in his belt and he wears sandals over bare feet. His head is turned in profile to the left, wearing spectacles; in his right hand is an open book, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Fox and North gaze sentimentally at each other, cf. BMSat 6193, &c. The background is a mountainous landscape with clouds.

Beneath the design is engraved:
“Let us dance & Sing,——God bless the King,——For he has made us
merry Men all.”