ticketsMember | Make a donation

Monstrous Craws at a New Coalition Feast

May 29, 1787
Not on view
Queen Charlotte, George, Prince of Wales, and King George III ravenously ladle guineas into their mouths from a bowl marked "John Bull’s Blood." The money falls into bags attached to their necks – the monstrous craws of the title, a term normally applied to the crops of birds. Gillray used the imagery of gluttony to criticize the exorbitant demands on the public purse being made in 1787 by the British royal family. The worse offender was the prince, who sits at center. Parliament recently had granted him £161,000 (about thirteen million dollars today) to pay off debts, and raised his annual income to £60,000. Since the prince’s pouch remains empty, Gillray suggests this largesse will be insufficient. The king and queen, on the other hand, who were notoriously miserly in their living arrangements, are criticized for greedily ladling up coins that they do not actually need into grotesquely distended craws.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Monstrous Craws at a New Coalition Feast
  • Artist: James Gillray (British, London 1756–1815 London)
  • Publisher: S. W. Fores (London)
  • Subject: George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland (British, London 1738–1820 Windsor)
  • Subject: George, Prince of Wales (British, London 1762–1830 Windsor)
  • Subject: Queen Charlotte, consort of George III of England (1744–1818)
  • Date: May 29, 1787
  • Medium: Etching and aquatint
  • Dimensions: sheet: 14 5/8 x 18 7/16 in. (37.2 x 46.9 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Philip van Ingen, 1942
  • Object Number: 42.121(2)
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Portfolio of Caricatures
Multiple artists/makers
1786–1810
Hyder Ally, James Gillray British, Stipple engraving
Hyder Ally
Multiple artists/makers
June 13, 1781
The Genuine Works of James Gillray, Engraved by Himself. In Two Volumes.
Multiple artists/makers
[1830]
No Popery or Newgate Reformer
James Gillray
June 19, 1780
Evening Consolation
Multiple artists/makers
after April 1785

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.