Plate VI 1745

"Plate VI" is one of six prints that comprise William Hogarth's satirical series "Marriage à-la-Mode," completed in 1745. This particular engraving depicts the disastrous aftermath of a marriage between a wealthy merchant’s daughter and an impoverished nobleman. The couple is shown arguing while the wife's mother and a doctor stand by. The chaotic scene is emphasized by the overturned furniture and the dog gnawing on a bone in the foreground, highlighting the hollowness of the marriage and the corrupt society in which it takes place.