The OLD BEAU in an EXTASY.

DateJuly 13, 1773

Engraver John Dixon (ca. 1740 - 1811)

MediumMezzotint engraving with line engraving

DimensionsOH: 14 3/4" x OW: 10 5/8"; Plate H: 14" x W: 10"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1939-236

DescriptionThe lower margin reads: "The OLD BEAU in an EXTASY./ Drawn from the Life & ex.t by J. Dixon./ Behold this WRetch! a Fop at Sixty two,/ A true conceited, ugly, worn out Beau,/ Whose Toilet boasts of every scarce Perfume/ WIth Chinese Paint for Artificial Bloom;/ A half starv'd paltry Thing_so strange all o'er/ That England ne'er beheld his like before./ The Girls all hate him, and at their request/ Up hands the Cap they think will suit him best./ Printed for Carington Bowles, at his Map & Print Warehouse, N.o 69 in S.t Pauls Church Yard, London. Publish'd as the Act directs 13 July 1773."
Label TextA print showing the interior of the room of an elderly gentleman. His valet, also old, is dressing his hair. He is before a mirror where he can see the withered features of his face, the hair thinning and weak eyes. The hair is being dressed in macaroni style. On the table are bottles of perfumes, a handkerchief, and a snuff box. On the wall is a picture of Narcissus at the stream. A bookcase to the rear contains "Classic Authors in Wood" (blocks of wood shaped to resemble books).