William Hogarth (1697-1764) - Il pugile

The famous portrait of Charles Churchill by William Hogarth, titled The Bruiser (Il Pugile), is a satirical engraving from 1762. It depicts Churchill as an anthropomorphic bear (the “brutal Russian Hercules”) holding a beer mug and a cudgel with a hangman’s knot, next to Trump (Hogarth’s dog) who urinates on Churchill’s work "An Epistle to Hogarth" (1763). In response to the criticisms leveled by the poet against the artist.

In the lower right palette, Hogarth enters as a pitchman, leading Wilkes – depicted as a monkey astride a staff topped with the liberty cap and holding the North Briton – while Churchill advances in the guise of a bear with a muzzle, adorned with a ruff and sash, and wearing a cocked hat. The artist whips them, forcing them to keep time to the shrill notes of a featureless violinist, identified by many as the Count Temple.

The details of the work are analyzed and documented in the historical-artistic essay available on the Cle Ens-Lyon portal.

Under the image the title, the artists’ names and the publication note are listed:
Edizione ottocentesca in buonissimo stato di conservazione, con ampi margini

William Hogarth (London, 1697 – 1764) was an English painter, engraver and author of satirical prints.
He was the greatest English artist of his time. He was also the first to win fame and success during his lifetime across Europe thanks to his graphics. And today he is universally recognized as the leading figure of British arts.