Tentand via est qua me quoque possim tollere humo Possibly 1810

Editor: This is “Tentand via est qua me quoque possim tollere humo” by James Gillray, likely from 1810. It’s a mixed-media drawing combining etching, print, and watercolor. It feels like a chaotic political cartoon, very grotesque and allegorical. What do you see in this piece, especially considering the imagery? Curator: It's fascinating how Gillray uses symbolic language here. Consider the balloon, shaped like a globe, lifting the Pope over a rioting crowd in London. The balloon itself speaks of ambition, aspiration, perhaps even a striving for world domination. But what's being abandoned down below? Editor: Well, there's definitely turmoil in the crowd. Lots of grotesque faces, people fighting. It looks like Gillray is satirizing something specific, a moment in history. Curator: Precisely! And that "something" is charged with cultural memory. The imagery mocks the Catholic emancipation and anxieties surrounding papal authority in England at that time. The grotesque figures express xenophobia and a fear of losing cultural identity. Do you notice how established institutions – those buildings in the background, the Church, Parliament - appear threatened, almost overwhelmed by the crowd's intensity? Editor: Now that you mention it, they do. The architecture seems to be shrinking compared to the mass of bodies and the giant balloon. And the donkey procession in the left corner only increases that sense of instability! Curator: Indeed. Animals themselves carry rich symbolism. Here, Gillray cleverly connects specific political anxieties with animalistic, almost primal, fears concerning hierarchy and established order. The symbols intertwine personal psychological states and collective cultural anxieties. Editor: This piece is denser than I initially thought! Seeing the connection between political satire, religious anxieties, and the symbolic language really makes it more impactful. Curator: Yes, and by understanding these visual layers, we gain deeper insights into the psychological climate of the period and can also learn to be wary of manipulative political tactics. Editor: I will never see political cartoons in the same way again. There's a whole world of coded communication hidden in them.