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A print depicts a male corpse being publicly dissected by three men, while a group of scholars sit behind the dissection table and talk amongst themselves.

A print depicting a dissection theatre, with a male corpse being dissected by three male figures. A crowd of scholars are seated around the dissection, paying no attention to the scene in front of them. In the center of the crowd, a man seated on a large chair points with a stick to the corpse’s open chest. At the bottom of the image, a man pulls the corpse’s intestines into a bucket with other organs, a dog eats an organ, and a cauldron boils skulls and bones. Text above the image reads "The Reward of Cruelty."

Identification and Creation

Object Number
G9035
People
William Hogarth, British (London 1697 - 1764 London)
Title
The Reward of Cruelty
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: The Four Stages of Cruelty
Alternate Title: The Four Stages of Cruelty, Plate 4.
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print
Date
1751
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/238114

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Etching and engraving
Technique
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
plate: 38.4 x 31.8 cm (15 1/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: recto, in lower text margin between the first two columns of verse, brown ink: r. 107
  • inscription: verso, lower right, graphite: Lot of 4- B

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

State
i/iv
Standard Reference Number
P. 190, BM Sat. 3166

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gray Collection of Engravings Fund
Object Number
G9035
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Exhibition History

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu