Hudibras and Ralpho Made Prisoners and Carried to the Stocks (Seventeen Small Illustrations for Samuel Butler's Hudibras, no. 6)

Hudibras and Ralpho Made Prisoners and Carried to the Stocks (Seventeen Small Illustrations for Samuel Butler's Hudibras, no. 6), created by William Hogarth between 1721 and 1726, is a key early work in the artist's career. This detailed print was meticulously executed using etching and engraving techniques and exists in the second state of two. It serves as the sixth illustration in a series dedicated to Samuel Butler’s famous 17th-century satirical poem, Hudibras. Hogarth created these small-scale prints early in his transition toward narrative art, focusing on capturing the comedic and chaotic spirit of the literary text.

The composition vividly depicts the titular characters, the Presbyterian knight Sir Hudibras and his squire Ralpho, being ignominiously led through a village to the stocks. They are surrounded by a jeering crowd of local men and women, demonstrating the public humiliation of the prisoners. The surrounding scene is characteristic of English public spaces, showing various half-timbered buildings while incorporating incidental details such as animals in the foreground, adding to the general disorder and low comedy of the moment.

As a key example of English 18th-century prints, the work holds significant historical value, reflecting the popular demand for printed illustrations of literary subjects. Hogarth's interpretation of Butler's mock-heroic epic helped establish his reputation for visual satire and his talent for depicting complex narrative scenes. This important piece is classified as a print and resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. High-quality prints of this early Hogarth work are often found in the public domain, allowing wide access to his foundational career illustrations.