Hudibras and the Lawyer, plate twelve from Hudibras

Hudibras and the Lawyer, plate twelve from Hudibras, is a seminal work created by William Hogarth English, 1697-1764, between 1725 and 1726. This piece belongs to the artist's early printmaking output, illustrating his technical aptitude crucial for commercial success in 18th-century England. The composition utilizes the meticulous techniques of etching and engraving, rendering the scene in black ink upon cream paper. This impression has been carefully mounted on cream wove paper, preserving the integrity of Hogarth's detailed line work.

Hogarth created this image as part of a highly successful visual series illustrating Samuel Butler’s famous mock-heroic poem, Hudibras. The source text satirizes religious extremism, political hypocrisy, and philosophical absurdity prevalent during the English Civil War era, themes which retained potent social relevance for audiences in contemporary England. Plate twelve specifically depicts the titular character, the Puritan knight Sir Hudibras, in an engaged, often absurd, interaction with a lawyer. Hogarth’s keen eye for human folly is evident in the dynamic composition and the exaggerated figures, characterizing the lawyer's pomposity and bureaucratic formality.

Classified strictly as a print, this artwork offers crucial insight into Hogarth’s transition from illustrative commercial work to his later independent narrative series. Its sharp detail and sophisticated use of satire are preserved in this impression, which resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since the work dates to the early 18th century and is now within the public domain, it remains a vital reference point for studying the history of caricature and graphic satire originating in England.