Hudibras Catechized (Seventeen Small Illustrations for Samuel Butler's Hudibras, no. 14)

Hudibras Catechized (Seventeen Small Illustrations for Samuel Butler's Hudibras, no. 14) is an early print by William Hogarth, created between 1721 and 1726. This small-scale work is part of a significant series illustrating Samuel Butler’s popular Restoration-era mock-heroic poem, Hudibras. Hogarth utilized the detailed medium of etching and engraving to capture the biting satirical tone of Butler’s text, which ridiculed religious fanaticism and political hypocrisy following the English Civil War. This period marks a crucial point in Hogarth’s career, as he established himself not just as a skilled engraver, but as a visual satirist keenly focused on the flaws and absurdities of men in contemporary English society.

The composition for Hudibras Catechized depicts the titular character undergoing a form of humorous interrogation or instruction, a scene rich with Hogarth’s characteristic attention to expressive gestures and exaggerated figures. The narrative clarity achieved through the etching and engraving process allows viewers to immediately grasp the theatrical interaction between the various men depicted in the tight interior space. Hogarth’s ability to condense complex literary satire into vivid visual prints ensured the popularity of these illustrations, bringing Butler's challenging work to a wider audience. This piece is held in the esteemed collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a seminal work from the artist's developing period, the visual records and high-quality prints of this artwork often enter the public domain, making the study of Hogarth’s evolving mastery of satirical printmaking widely accessible today.