Religion and Liberty
Care and Hope

2009-07-09

  • [top segments]: Unknown artist (1674), Fig. 4/4 to the orartie van de Professor L. Wolsogen over syndroom en de nytlegging van de felue gadaen … . The animals are based on illustrations by M. Gheeraerts the Elder to Aesop’s Fables. Henry Holiday probably found the print in the British Museum (now in BM Satires 1047, reg.no.: 1868,0808.3286).
  • [bottom segments]: Henry Holiday (1876), two details from an illustration to the chapter The Hunting in Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark (woodcut by Joseph Swain)

 

In an illustration to Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark which allegorically depicts “Care” and “Hope”, the illustrator Henry Holiday alluded to a 17th century print which allegorically depicts “Religion” and “Liberty”.

The 1674 print is on the right side. It depicts William III (William of Orange) as well as the allegorical figures for “Religion” and “Liberty”, a “liberum belgium” motive. The animals in that print are based on illustrations by M. Gheeraerts the Elder to Aesop’s Fables. The print can be found in the British Museum, BM Satires 1047, reg.no.: 1868,0808.3286. In the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum the object number is RP-P-OB-82.399.

In his illustration (left side), Henry Holiday probably alluded to that print. What is evidently known is that he discussed the allegorical depiction of “Care” and “Hope” (where Hope carries an anchor which looks like the “cross of hope”) with Dodgson/Carroll:

When I sent Mr. Dodgson she sketch of the hunting, in which I had personified Hope and Care

They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care,
They pursued it with forks and hope

he wrote that he admired the figures, but that they interfered with the points, which consisted in the mixing up of meanings of the word “with”. I replied, “Precisely, and I intend to add a third – ‘in company with’ – and so develop the point.” This view he cordially accepted, and the ladies were admitted.

(Henry Holiday, The Snark’s Significance, 1898-01-29)

 
The Rijksmuseum account Pailina De Nijs chose a segment of the 1674 print as a header for reformatie-contrareformatie.

 
related blog post | my collection at the Rijksmuseum

 
2017-09-16, updated: 2024-01-28

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