Apollo and the Muses inflicting penance on Dr. Pomposo round Parnassus [graphic].

[London] : Pubd. July 29th, 1783, by Holland, No. 66 Drury Lane, [29 July 1783]

1 print : etching ; sheet 27 x 33 cm

From a collection in twelve volumes probably compiled by Francis Harvey and sold at auction, Sotheby, London, June 1900. Bequest of Hugh Dudley Auchincloss to Yale University Library, 1981. Bound by Riviere & Son in three-quarters red morocco with gold tooling and gold lettering on spine.

A half-undressed Dr. Johnson in a dunce's cap and with a rope around his neck walks from left to right, driven by Apollo, who holds the other end of the rope, and the Muses with uplifted scourges and birch rods. On his cap are the names of the poets Johnson criticized. He carries a placard describing his guilt as an unjust critic. In the background, on the summit of Parnassus, can be seen a temple highlighted by the sun behind it, with Pegasus flying nearby.

English

March 30, 2005

Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 5, no. 6328