Morganmobile: Threes

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This eighteenth-century satirical print proposes a contest among types of authority. Which one has the greatest power to tempt man: religion, monarchy, or the “paradise of fools”? Church and State, represented by the mitre and crown, are dwarfed by a massive petticoat that stands for Woman—described in the text as the “weaker Vessel.” Although the author refers to all three as Gugaws (geegaws, showy trifles), the petticoat is deemed to have “Superiour [sic] Sway.” Even the winged putti find themselves drawn to look under its hem.

The Three Grand Temptations, viz. The Pride of the Churchmen; the Ambition of Princes; & the Paradise of Fools, [London; Westminster]: Sold by the Printsellers of London & Westminster, [ca. 1721]. Bequest of Gordon N. Ray, 1987; PML 145850.29.