Marriage A-la-Mode: Plate V - The Bagnio

Marriage A-la-Mode is a series of six pictures painted and then engraved by William Hogarth between 1743 and 1745.  They pillorise 18th-century society by showing the disastrous results of an ill-considered marriage for money rather than love.  This was Hogarth's first moralising series satirising upper class patronage and aesthetics.

The tale is of a marriage arranged by two self-seeking fathers - a spendthrift nobleman who requires cash and a wealthy City of London merchant who wants to buy into the aristocracy.

'The Bagnio' is the fifth of the series and depicts the aftermath of the masquerade.  The Countess and her lover, Silvertongue, have taken rooms above some Turkish baths.  Her shoes, corset and hooped underskirt are discarded by the four-poster bed.  The Earl has burst into the room and been fatally stabbed by Silvertongue, who is escaping through the window in his nightshirt.  The owner has arrived to investigate the commotion and the Countess is on her knees begging forgiveness.

This print is produced on St Cuthbert's Mill special acid free archival artboard.  The overall loose print size is 33cm x 24cm.  The framed print is presented in 20mm black wood archivist moulding, complete with rope hanger over hardboard back with a cream board mount.  The overall size is 43cm x 33cm.