Portrait of Mahomed Caratha The Surprizing Equilibrist

Dateca. 1751

Engraver Michael Hanbury

MediumEtching with line engraving on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 10 5/8 × 14 1/2in. (27 × 36.8cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund

Object number2023-308

DescriptionText at top center reads: "The Surprizing EQUILIBRES on the Slack Rope, by/ the Grand Turk MAHOMED CARATHA perform'd with/ universal Aplause, at most of the Courts of Europe"
Lower margin reads: "Mahomed Caratha the surprizing Equilibrest/ Dublin Printed and Sold by Mich.l Hanbury Engraver Georges-Lane"
Label TextThe “Surprising Equilibrist,” Mahomed Caratha, was a Turkish slack-rope walker and juggler who entertained audiences throughout Britain with his act starting in the 1740s. He was known for his ability to perform balancing tricks with inanimate objects such as chairs, pipes, ladders, and swords as shown in this dynamic print. His celebrity was noted in the same way we might invoke the name “Houdini” today. One contemporary author wrote: “…We may suppose, while we see a…Mohammed Caratha on the Corner of a fifth Chair, that it is easy to keep the true Centre of Gravity, but it is not always so in Practice.” This print was published in Dublin, Ireland, perhaps to advertise a performance by Caratha. References to Caratha show that he continued to perform into the 1780s.
ProvenanceBefore 2018, Ricky Jay [1946-2018] (Los Angeles, CA); (Potter & Potter Auctions, Chicago, IL, October 28, 2023 Lot 58); 2023-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.