Marriage A-La-Mode – 4, The Toilette
C.1743
Hogarth serves up a delicious slice of 18th-century high society drama in this chaotic morning scene. The Countess, draped in a massive white silk gown, is enduring her daily grooming routine while her lover, the smug lawyer on the right, pays a visit. If you look closely at the bottom right, a little page boy holds a basket containing a statue of Actaeon turning into a stag; in mythology, Actaeon was a cuckold, hinting that the Countess's husband is being cheated on! The room is a mess of expensive paintings, musicians playing loudly, and general decadence, perfectly capturing the moral decay of a marriage built on money rather than love.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Location: National Gallery, London
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