Price: $215.00
SKU: 102375
ARTIST: Robert Pyle
MEDIUM: Mezzotint,
DATE: c. 1765
EDITION SIZE: Paper size 4 1/8 x 5 3/4" (11.7 x 14.7 cm)
DESCRIPTION: This quarter-sheet mezzotint, attributed to Robert Pyle and produced in London around 1765, captures a moment of crushing despair. A man sits hunched to the left, hands clasped in anguish, staring at a table strewn with playing cards, an empty glass, a smoldering candle, and a discarded pipe—symbols of gambling, excess, and regret. The interplay of light and shadow accentuates the tension of the scene, emphasizing the weight of his misfortune and drawing the viewer into his moment of reckoning. We all know someone who spends a little too much on Amazon late at night, only to wake up the next morning with a mix of regret and confusion—this is the 18th-century equivalent, just with playing cards instead of next-day delivery. <br><br> Though no publication details are given, the print is most similar to a mezzotint issued by Robert Sayer, whose catalog frequently featured cautionary tales blending sentimentality with stark social warnings. Belonging to the popular genre of "crying" or "repentant" figures, this print served as both entertainment and a moral lesson—an unspoken warning that vice leads to ruin, and fortune, once lost, is not easily regained.
ADDITIONAL INFO: This piece is in a 6.25 x 9.5 inch archival mylar for safe handling.
CONDITION: Fair condition, with heavily trimmed margins, resulting in the loss of the publication line. However, both the image and the accompanying poem remain clear and legible.
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