1747
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Industrious 'Prentice Alderman of London,the Idle one brought before him & impea ch'd by his Accomplice is a 1747 ink by William Hogarth, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This busy scene shows a crowded courtroom with people dressed in old-fashioned clothes. One man sits slumped in a chair, looking guilty, while others point at him or whisper. A clerk holds papers, and a judge stands behind a high table. The walls are plain, and the mood feels tense. Notice the text at the bottom—it quotes Bible verses about hard work and lying. The artist used sharp lines to show every detail, from wrinkled clothes to worried faces. This is an example of etching, a technique Hogarth often used to tell stories in his prints.
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, satirist, cartoonist and writer.
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