This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/25/2023
GILLRAY, James (1756 – 1815). Monstrous Craws, at a New Coalition Feast. London: S.W. Fores, May 29th 1787. Detailed and finely rendered engraving picturing the three “Craws” around a small table, shoveling food (possibly in the form of coins) into their gullets. Framed to 22 ½ x 26 ½”, sight 14 ¾ x 18 ½”. A crisp and bright impression. See BM Satires 7166, Exemplars, p. 230, and Celebrations of Curious Characters, p. 100. In Ricky Jay’s words, the Craws were, “… small in stature (they were under four feet tall) and [had] unusual excrescences that extended from their chins like a pelican’s pouch. These goiters, indicative of some thyroid disorder, prompted their billing as ‘The Monstrous Craws.’” The trio, variously billed as hailing from South America and the Swiss Alps, were a tremendous drawing card both for private exhibitions and in public circus shows. Here, as was his wont, Gillray has recast the Craws in the form of King George III and his wife and son, the image being a satire on the quasi-reconciliation between the prince and his parents over a massive personal debt. Displayed as part of Ricky Jay’s Extraordinary Exhibitions, Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), 2007.