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Satirizing The European Struggle for Colonial Power, Exploitation and Trade Dominance

Rare anonymous political satire engraving, one of a series of political satires commenting on the ongoing "race" among European nations for domination of newly discovered, explored, and potentially wealthy lands across the seas.  This rare political satire captures the intricate and multifaceted nature of European power struggles in the mid-18th century, offering a richly detailed and historically significant commentary on the period's geopolitical dynamics.

In 1740, the European world erupted into widespread conflict with the onset of the War of Austrian Succession, which encompassed the War of Jenkins' Ear, King George's War, the First and Second Carnatic Wars in India, and the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. This satirical print titled The European State Jockies Running a Heat for the Balance of Power, created by an unknown artist in 1740, attempts to encapsulate these myriad events into a single, crowded, and intricate cartoon.

The central theme of this satirical print is the jockeying for position among the European powers, depicted as a chaotic race on a seashore with various animals and riders representing different countries. Cardinal Fleury of France, mounted on a fox, is shown falling at the winning post due to stumbling over "[Baron] Sinclair's papers." Behind the fox stands the devil, holding a sheet marked "Baltic Sea," signifying France's failure to form an alliance in that region. The devil manipulates a set of scales, symbolizing the balance of power: the heavier side represents the Imperial allies with swords, coins, and the Imperial eagle, while the lighter side contains objects connected to France and Spain, such as a cardinal's hat, a mask, a fox, and notes of "50,000 livers" and "10,000 pistoles," alongside a paper marked "Mediation."

The umpire stand is occupied by figures representing the four continents: America converses with Africa, while Europe embraces Asia in the name of "Protection [of] Trade." In the middle distance, Captain Robert Jenkins holds out his severed ear, a reference to the incident that ignited the War of Jenkins' Ear. The British lion's tail, inscribed with "No Search Free Trade," lashes out, unseating the Spanish wolf's rider. The Russian bear, ridden by a man with a scimitar, kicks at the Turkish elephant draped with a cloth marked "Belgrade," alluding to the recent ceding of that city to Turkey. Behind the elephant, the sultan offers a bag of money to a Frenchman, while a monkey, symbolizing France, crouches nearby.

A Dutchman, having abandoned the race, stands beside a post with his boar laden with trade goods. In the background, the devil and a fool lead a group of Roman Catholic bishops towards a building labeled "Conclave" for the election of Pope Clement XII's successor. At a round table, seven men representing European powers discuss alliances, while Cardinal Fleury pleads with another devil, "Extricate me now & I'm yours forever."

In the foreground, Time holds an hourglass and a picture of a wolf dressed as a cardinal, while rats gnaw at the bottom. Fortune loses her grip on Theodore of Corsica, who throws his orb and crown away. A British bulldog attacks a Spanish wolf, and a French fox flees behind a bush. Captain Coram presents the plan of the Foundling Hospital to a woman and child. Nearby, an ecclesiastic laments the loss of his gods, and a man lifts a chest marked "10000 pieces of Eight."

Emperor Charles VI, riding an eagle towards the finish line, holds a shield with the British coat of arms, while a shield with the fleur-de-lis falls. Preceding him is Charles Albert of Bavaria, fully armed and carrying a shield with the motto "Never conquered." A French ambassador kneels before the British lion, which tramples a shield with the fleur-de-lis and prepares to fire a cannon. Britannia, pushing aside France (personified as a classical woman with a helmet and a cock holding a paper marked "Mediation"), points to a map of Cuba offered by a British herald and sailor.

In the background, the bay of Cadiz shows the Spanish fleet trapped while British ships sail freely. A nymph holding a pennant marked "Quatuor Maria Vindico" (I claim the four seas) rides a dolphin, with the island of Cuba and distant mountains in view. The imagery is framed with a medal of a fighting cock inscribed "Aut Mors Aut Victoria" (Death or Victory), emphasizing the high stakes and fierce competition of this geopolitical race.

Rarity

The print is extremely rare on the market. 

We were unable to locate any examples offered for sale on RBH or otherwise, with the exception of the example offered in 1817 at the Thomas Hollis Sale at Sothebys (#1587 in A Catalogue of The Very Valuable and Highly Interesting United Libraries of Thomas Hollis Esq. and Thomas Brand Hollis, Esq>. . . , 22 to 30 April 1817).

We note institutional examples at:

• British Museum
• New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
• American Antiquarian Society
• Colonial Williamsburg
• National Maritime Museum Greenwich
• Ohio State University
• John Carter Brown Library
• Morgan Library
• Yale University