Cruelty in Perfection (The Four Stages of Cruelty)

Cruelty in Perfection (The Four Stages of Cruelty) by William Hogarth is a series of four satirical images created in 1751, designed to function as both popular art and moral instruction. Executed through the meticulous technique of etching and engraving, the work is a significant example of 18th-century British social commentary, tracing the life of a fictional character named Tom Nero.

The sequence begins with the earliest forms of malice, showing young Nero and other men abusing animals, including the torture of birds and small creatures. As the narrative progresses through the stages, the scale of violence increases, encompassing brutality against women and ultimately culminating in the gruesome murder of an adult figure. The final plate depicts Nero’s execution and public dissection, an outcome Hogarth explicitly presented as the necessary consequence of his lifelong cruelty. The recurring theme is that juvenile acts of aggression directly lead to capital offenses, ending in inevitable death.

Hogarth published these prints in cheap editions to ensure maximum circulation among the working classes, emphasizing their didactic purpose. The use of the print medium allowed Hogarth to reach a broad audience with his moralizing message regarding the dangers of unchecked viciousness. This important series of prints, classified as the only state, demonstrates the artist’s mastery of the medium to convey complex narratives. This work is part of the extensive collection of prints held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and its widespread accessibility today contributes to its legacy as a key piece of public domain art.