A young man with an exhausted expression after sex pulls on his breeches beside a woman who gazes up at him and holds his arm; on the wall is an image of Cupid pointing to a downward-pointing rocket. Engraving by William Hogarth, 1736.

  • Hogarth, William, 1697-1764.
Date:
Decm:br: ye: 15th 1736
Reference:
38349i
Part of:
Before and after
  • Pictures
  • Online

Selected images from this work

View 1 image

About this work

Also known as

After

Description

Left, two paintings of Cupid are inscribed "before" (pointing to a rising rocket) and "after" (pointing to a falling rocket). A book on the floor is inscribed "Aristotle" and "Omne animal post coitum triste". A dog sleeps on the floor, illustrating the quotation from Aristotle

Publication/Creation

[London] : Wm Hogarth, Decm:br: ye: 15th 1736.

Physical description

1 print : engraving, with etching ; image 36.9 x 31 cm.

Series

Contributors

Lettering

Invented engraved & published Decm:br: ye: 15th 1736 by Wm: Hogarth pursuant to an at of parliament.

Edition

[Paulson's state III].

References note

R. Paulson, Hogarth's graphic works, London 1989, 3rd edition, no. 142
Kirsten Tambling, 'John Thomson, Archibald Grant and William Hogarth's "Before" and "After"', The Burlington magazine, 2019, 161: 300-307

Reference

Wellcome Collection 38349i

Notes

Forms a pair with Wellcome Library no. 38348i

Type/Technique

Languages

Subjects

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores

Permanent link