Mazeppa (King William IV; Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington)

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© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Mazeppa (King William IV; Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington)

by John ('HB') Doyle, printed by Alfred Ducôte, published by Thomas McLean
lithograph, published 7 August 1832
11 1/4 in. x 16 3/8 in. (286 mm x 415 mm) overall
Acquired, before 1900
Reference Collection
NPG D41154

Sittersback to top

Artistsback to top

  • John ('HB') Doyle (1797-1868), 'HB'; caricaturist. Artist or producer associated with 746 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.
  • Alfred Ducôte (active 1830-1840), Lithographer and lithographic printer. Artist or producer associated with 462 portraits.
  • Thomas McLean (1788-1875), Publisher and dealer. Artist or producer associated with 1058 portraits.

This portraitback to top

John Doyle based his satirical print on a reworking of a painting by the French artist Horace Vernet (1783-1863). 'Mazeppa et des Loups' or 'Mazeppa and the wolves' shows a scene from the romantic poem by Lord Byron, 'Mazeppa' (1819).
In the poem, Mazeppa is punished by his lover's husband, by being tied naked to a wild horse, which was then set loose.

Vernet's painting is at the Musée Calvet, Avignon, France, and can be seen online at the Musée Calvet in Avignon, France

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Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1832back to top

Current affairs

William IV agrees to the creation of new peers in order to obtain the passage of the Reform Act, although this proved unnecessary when the Tories withdrew opposition. Male franchise is extended by fifty percent; fifty-six 'rotten boroughs' lose representation and forty-one new constituencies are created. Irish and Scottish Reform Acts are also passed.

Art and science

Mathematician Charles Babbage publishes his best selling Economy of Machinery and Manufactures. In response to recent outbreaks of machine-breaking and riots, he aimed to reveal the sources of Britain's industrial strength to the urban elite and promote institutional change.
Parliament votes funds for National Gallery buildings in Trafalgar Square.

International

Free land grants end for English settlers in Australia on recommendation of the leading colonisation theorist Edward Wakefield in his Letter from Sydney.
Greek independence recognised by the Treaty of London.

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Alain Pougetoux

18 January 2016, 00:38

This engraving derives from Horace Vernet's "Mazeppa et les loups" which seems to be kept at the Préfecture in Avignon (F.) - I believe the curators at the Musée Calvet could certainly help you.