Caricature of ‘Dr. Plot’
Date
1787
Creator
W. Divey (British) , Publisher
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 305mm
width (print): 195mm
width (print): 195mm
Description
Satirical view of an English parson, shown brandishing ‘The Reversionary Deed £100 for 11000.’ and having a rolled-up will in his pocket. To the left, a hand reaches from a small cloud to deposit a sack of money on a tombstone, the sack inscribed ‘[Par]simony’, and the tombstone bearing the legend ‘Give to Genus his own Offspring’. To the right, an empty cradle bearing an anchor and heron motif, joined by a cord to an angel, above. Below, a devil holds the parson by a manacle and chain. Behind, a church and churchyard, with a campaign tent bearing the words ‘BOSWORTH FIELD ACTION’.
Plate from a grangerized copy of A history of the Royal Society, with memoirs of the Presidents…by Charles Richard Weld (London, John W. Parker, 1848). In this edition, the original two volumes were extended to eight volumes with the addition of extra-illustrations and documents, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley.
The print appears at p.326 in volume 3 of the adapted set of Weld’s History. The text discusses the printing of the Philosophical Transactions by ‘Dr. Plot’ [e.g. Robert Plot (1640-1696) British naturalist, unconnected with this print].
Inscription below: ‘O.P. del. Q.R. Sculp: DR. PLOT. Pubd. Octr. 15 1787 by W. Divey, Black-heath, Kent.’. With verses commencing: ‘Curs’d be the Art by which I was decoy’d…’. With the anchor and bird armorial badge of the Pitt family.
Plate from a grangerized copy of A history of the Royal Society, with memoirs of the Presidents…by Charles Richard Weld (London, John W. Parker, 1848). In this edition, the original two volumes were extended to eight volumes with the addition of extra-illustrations and documents, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley.
The print appears at p.326 in volume 3 of the adapted set of Weld’s History. The text discusses the printing of the Philosophical Transactions by ‘Dr. Plot’ [e.g. Robert Plot (1640-1696) British naturalist, unconnected with this print].
Inscription below: ‘O.P. del. Q.R. Sculp: DR. PLOT. Pubd. Octr. 15 1787 by W. Divey, Black-heath, Kent.’. With verses commencing: ‘Curs’d be the Art by which I was decoy’d…’. With the anchor and bird armorial badge of the Pitt family.
Object history
Print from Charles Richard Weld's A history of the Royal Society, vol. 3... (London, John W. Parker, 1848) grangerized by the writer and collector Alexander Meyrick Broadley (1847–1916) into 8 volumes, adding illustrative material and manuscript items to Weld's text. The books were initially owned by Ludwig Mond FRS (1839–1909), and according to an inscription by his son Robert Ludwig Mond FRS (1867–1938) they were intended for presentation to the Society. This eventually happened in late 1959, the donor being the politician Harry Nathan (1889–1963), Lord Nathan of Churt.
Related fellows
Charles Richard Weld (1813 - 1869, British) , Author
Associated place