Circle of James Gillray, British 1756-1815- The Voluptuary; pencil, pen and black ink and watercolour on paper, upper corners trimmed, 20 x 18.6 cm. Provenance: Anon. sale, Sotheby's, London, 22 January 1981, lot 18. Private Collection, UK. Note: The title of the present work surely refers to the unknown sitter, whom the artist is evidently depicting as a glutton, preoccupied with luxurious and sensual pleasure, perhaps further suggested by his unbuttoned waistcoat and somewhat louche demeanour. Gillray's 1792 print with a similar title, 'A voluptuary under the horrors of digestion', depicts a different sitter - George, Prince of Wales, later King George IV - and is not obviously connected to the present work. Gillray was celebrated for his searing satirical prints, and is often seen as one of the forefathers of the modern-day political cartoon, along with his predecessor William Hogarth (1697-1764). Indeed, the anonymous artist here is clearly operating with Gillray's works in mind.