Rehearsal in Holland 1787
London : Publish'd Octr. 18th, 1787 by T. Harmar, No. 164 (opposite Bond Street) Piccadilly, [1787]
"One of four satires on the invasion of the United Provinces by Prussia and the collapse of the Patriots who had relied on French assistance."--Curator's comments, British Museum online catalogue.
Formerly owned by Sir Robert Peel.
One of a set of four, and a companion print to British Museum satire no. 7177. A party of unsoldierly Dutch ragamuffins practises firing at the figure of a Prussian soldier (right) chalked on a high stone wall. They stand on the brink of a ditch close to the wall and are commanded by a man in civilian dress holding a pike, evidently a member of a Free Corps, who is directing the military training of the others. One man stands up to his knees in water; frogs are climbing up him. Other frogs stand on the bank holding weapons. A crowd of ruffians (left) watch the firing, some have muskets, one a blunderbuss, one blows a trumpet, another waves his hat; all exult at the success of their arms against the symbol of the Prussian army, at which a dog barks and ducks quack. The high stone wall has a ruinous gap which is filled with a windmill. Cf. British Museum online catalogue.
Peel, Robert, 1788-1850, former owner.