William Hogarth & Francois Antoine Aveline

William Hogarth & Francois Antoine Aveline (F. Aviline) - Chairing the Members (Four Prints of an Election, Plate 4): The fourth and final scene is one of Hogarth's most famous images. It depicts the victory procession that was undertaken for new members of Parliament. Leading the procession is a blind fiddler. The procession has come to an abrupt halt as a bear with a monkey on its back has stopped to examine the contents of a garbage pail. A man riding a donkey raises his stick to beat the bear and, at the same moment, the monkey fires his gun. Above the gun a chimney sweep tellingly plays with a death's head. Beside the unfortunate boy a lady faints. Two servants try to revive her.

In the foreground a fight has broken out between a one legged sailor and his adversary. The adversary's club has inadvertently struck one of the chair carriers, causing the politician to topple into the stream. A family of pigs dash for the water, overturning a woman. Behind the politician a woman is beating her tailor-husband for not selling his vote. Close to the pigs, a man in a related posture sticks his head in a beer barrel to drain the remaining drops. Riotous followers of the victorious candidate follow in the background.

The losing side occupies the house to the right. Servants bring them food and drink to soothe their electoral wounds. Appearing at the window some are enjoying the present misfortune of the victorious candidate while others continue to grieve. In the uppermost window a lawyer's parchment reading the word "Indintur" is seen. He is probably busy at work preparing a contest of the entire election, and thus the full tragi-comedy may have to be played out again.

Flying in the sky and centred directly over the head of the politician is a goose. When this engraving was first published, Hogarth approved this accompanying poetic stanza:

"Minerva's sacred bird's an owl; Our Candidate's, behold a fowl! From which we readily suppose (as now his generus Honour's chose) His voice he'll in the Senate use; And cackle, cackle, like - a goose."

Four Prints of an Election consists of four related engravings published by William Hogarth from February, 1755 to February, 1758. It represents Hogarth's last great set of engravings and is loosely based upon the riotous Oxfordshire election of 1754, where the Whig candidate, the Duke of Marlborough, challenged the incumbent Tories. As in most of Hogarth's works of art, however, the series is not concerned with a particular event but aims to uncover political and aristocratic methods to bribe, coerce and generally exploit the populace. Thus this eighteenth century election shares many similar chords with our contemporary politicians and voters.

William Hogarth engraved plate 1 by himself and assisted other engravers in plates 3 and 4. For mainly background work, however, he commissioned the technical expertise of other engravers working in London to complete the series. They are, Charles Grignion, the Elder (born, 1717 - died, 1810), (plate 2), Francois Morellon de la Cave 'Le Cave' (1706-1766;fl), (plate 3), and Francois Antoine Aveline 'F. Aviline' (Paris, 1718/27? - London, 1780), (plate 4).

Chairing the Members, Four Prints of an Election, Plate 4 was engraved by William Hogarth and Francois Antoine Aveline (F. Aviline). This original engraving is printed upon early nineteenth century wove paper and with large, full margins as published by William Heath in 1822. It is a fine, original example of the satirical art created by the British artists, William Hogarth and Francois Antoine Aveline (F. Aviline). Chairing the Members, Plate IV; Paulson Catalogue #201, Third and Final State from Four Prints of an Election (Complete set of Four Original Engravings).