RARE: Caricature map from the "Geography Bewitched!" series by Robert Dighton portraying Scotland as a merry hump-backed jester.

Robert Dighton was one of the finest caricature artists of the 18th-century, the great age of satirical art. His work was ranked alongside that of Gillray and Cruikshank, though it was generally considered to be more whimsical and less biting than that of his peers.

The "Geography Bewitched!" series was produced at the request of Carrington Bowles, one of London's leading mapsellers, and was published in various formats from 1794 onwards by Bowles & Carver. The series consists of three maps: England & Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The other two maps in the series can also be seen on our website: England & Wales; Ireland.

Dighton's satirical art was extremely successful, eventually allowing him to open his own gallery. However, in 1806 scandal erupted when it was discovered that Dighton had been stealing prints from the British Museum and selling them in his gallery. This fraud was only discovered when one of Dighton's customers, concerned that the print he had purchased was a fake, took the piece into the British Museum to compare it with their copy, only to find that the Museum's copy had been stolen.

By cooperating with authorities in the recovery of the stolen material Dighton was able to evade prosecution, and in the end the notoriety may have even aided his commercial success as his satirical etchings remained popular for decades.

Fine original hand colour. Framed. [SCOT1637]