‘Son patriotisme est en Canelle’, 1790-1792

Description

Mounted etching and mezzotint, entitled ‘Son patriotisme est en Canelle’, designed and etched by anon. Lettered with false publication line ‘Au coq-André, rue de la grande Tuanderie’. Published in 1791, during the French Revolution.

This is a French political satire against Antoine Balthazar Joseph d’André (also known as André de Bellevue). A French royalist politician, André (1759–1825) was a conseiller at the regional Parliament of Aix-en-Provence and later president of the Assemblée Nationale.

Translated into English the title reads ‘His patriotism is in cinnamon’. Set in an apothecary’s shop, it features Dandré as the apothecary. He weighs “La Cour” (the court) against “Le peuple” (the people) in a set of hand-scales. On the counter is a pill tile, a hen, and a barrel of “Huile d’Aix”.

Behind are drug jars and boxes labelled: “ARRETS DU PARLEMENT D’AIX”, “Vieilles epices”, “Canelle Sucre”, “Nouvelles epices”, “Alun”, “Bonbon au Dauphin”, “Pastille a la Reine”, “Elixir Royal”, and “Opium nationa