Tailpiece, or the Bathos

"Tailpiece, or the Bathos" is the final, darkly humorous artistic statement by William Hogarth English, 1697-1764, created and published in 1764, the year of his death. Executed as an etching and engraving in black on cream wove paper, this highly detailed print demonstrates Hogarth’s sophisticated command of graphic media developed over decades of influential output. The classification of the work as a print allowed for its wide distribution, solidifying Hogarth’s role as the preeminent master of 18th-century visual satire in England.

The subject is a profound visual metaphor for the end of creativity, the decline of genius, and the collapse of the universe itself. The title uses Bathos to imply a ridiculous or anticlimactic fall from the sublime, mirroring Hogarth’s critical view of contemporary art trends and, perhaps, the exhaustion of his own career. The composition features numerous symbols of decay and ruin: a crumbling palette, a broken theatrical mask, a collapsing globe, and Father Time lying dead, his scythe and hourglass abandoned. This bleak catalogue of destruction functions as the artist’s self-authored epitaph, concluding his career-long project of exposing human folly.

As a crucial artifact illustrating the robust culture of graphic satire that defined England during this period, this impression is housed within the significant collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Despite the fragility of the original physical object, the widespread nature of Hogarth's output means that high-quality prints of his seminal works, like Tailpiece, or the Bathos, are often found digitized and categorized as public domain material, ensuring the continued study and appreciation of the artist’s legacy.