Thomas Rowlandson.

Batchelor's Fare, Bread Cheese and Kisses.

9 x 13 inches

A delightful hand coloured etching by Thomas Rowlandson, published in London in 1818.

An amusing episode is playing out in the relative seclusion of the snug in a country inn. A young buck has arrived to refresh himself and although there is bread and cheese on offer, he has plumped for the comforts of the comely barmaid. His grasping hands encircle her buttocks as she leans in and places a kiss upon his lecherous and rather bulbous face. The intimacy of their embrace suggests that this is a regular occurrence. Her inattention to duty allows the animals' behaviour to go unchecked; the dog makes a dash for the cheese whilst the cat laps from the milk jug. In the adjoining room we see another barmaid who is altogether more dutiful, administering ale to a smoking parson and looking demurely down to the floor. A young girl loiters in the doorway both amused and transfixed by the shenanigans of the lustful couple.

£525