Art À La Mode

Marriage a la Mode, Plate V

Title	Marriage à la Mode, Plate V, Death of the Earl
Artist	William Hogarth
Date	1745 (reprinted 1822)
Medium	Etching and engraving
Location	The Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University

The adultery of the Countess has resulted in a duel between her husband and Silvertongue, who escapes out the window. Mortally wounded, Viscount Squander's awkward pose mimics a Deposition scene in which a repentant Magdalen (the Viscountess) kneels before 'Christ.' A portrait of a harlot hangs behind the Countess, suggestive of her licentious acts. St. Luke, while he is often depicted painting the Virgin Mary, here, above the door, he records the scene of debased femininity before him.

Colour prints of Marriage à la Mode are on display in the exhibition space. The prints were made by Thomas Cook after William Hogarth from 1796 to 1797 and are on loan from the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College.

Exhibition