Public domain
‘Before’
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Hogarth’s distinctive taste for satire is shown in these pendants of a well-to-do couple before and after sex. The attitude of the protagonists and the chaotic look of the room signal, however, the brutality of the act. The overturned table reveals a second image on the wall, with a laughing Cupid pointing at the spent rocket he was lighting in the image hanging above.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit line‘Before’. 1736-12-15. William Hogarth. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
