George III Leading an Army of Jugs

George III Leading an Army of Jugs

Jacques Louis David

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This hand-colored caricature print represents the English army in the form of jugs, being led by George III in the form of a pitcher. Although the name of the printmaker is not known, the design is credited to the history painter, Jacques Louis David. It is one of two caricatures attributed to David; both were the result of a commission from the Committee of Public Safety in the fall of 1793. He is recorded as presenting his two designs to the Committee on March 27, 1794.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.