William HogarthEnglish, 1697–1764The Sleeping Congregation
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Minneapolis Institute of Art
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
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About the work
Human weakness was an endless source of humor for Hogarth, and his pointed satires sought to draw lessons through full disclosure of people's failings. Here religion-a frequent target of caricature-takes a backseat to more basic needs; sleep and sex, not piety, captivate the faithful during Sunday services. A shortsighted old preacher clutches his magnifying glass as he delivers what is surely a long-winded and dull sermon. Meanwhile, the undignified congregants appear in different stages of slumber, and a portly clerk sneaks an amorous glance at the bosom of a young maiden who sleeps, her dream colored by her biblical reading on matrimony.
Hogarth was a master storyteller, incisively capturing the characters and customs of his time in amusing narratives.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Particulars
- Accession number
- P.12, 612
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art: the museum's own open data · fetched 7 days ago
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
Meanwhile, in the life of William Hogarth
The whole life1712–1764 · Workplace
London
1735
Founds the St Martin’s Lane Academy
In 1735 Hogarth founded the St Martin’s Lane Academy in London — in essence a drawing studio that grew out of a circle of painters, draughtsmen and engravers who met at Slaughter’s coffee house on St Martin’s Lane. It became a forerunner of the Royal Academy of Arts and spread new artistic ideas in England.
25 June 1735
“Hogarth’s Act”: copyright for engravings
When the success of the two series produced numerous pirated copies, Hogarth lobbied Parliament for a law protecting engravers: the Engravers’ Copyright Act, known as “Hogarth’s Act”, became law on 25 June 1735 — the first copyright law to cover visual works and to recognise the authorial rights of an individual artist.
