(British 1724-1807)

The Royal Hunt, or a Prospect of the Year 1782: The Temple of Fame, formerly the Wonder of the World, but now in Ruins, after George Townshend, 4th Viscount and 1st Marquess Townshend or North Briton, artist and engraver, R. Owen, publisher, London, 1782, engraving on laid paper, plate 9-3/4 x 13-7/8 in., sheet 10-3/8 x 14-3/8 in.; unframed

Provenance: Private New England Collection

Note: The name of the artist, "North Briton", is most likely a pseudonym. The real artist is believed to be Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, who was a satirist and caricaturist, but also a veteran with a penchant for critiquing those whom he deemed of questionable competence. This piece was made in response to the British defeat at the Siege of Yorktown which ended the Revolutionary War.

References: Cresswell, Donald H., compiler. The American Revolution in drawings and prints; a checklist of 1765-1790 graphics in the Library of Congress (Washington, 1975), no. 809