Theatre of the World: The Revolutionary Wars, 1805

This double-sided drawing by James Gillray is a rare work by one of the best British satirical artists of the 18th century. Historically, the drawing is related to the graphic work of William Hogarth. Moreover, this work forms an interesting link between the work of James Ensor and the British social and political satirical artists who influenced him so strongly, notably Thomas Rowlandson, Hogarth, and Gillray himself. The work probably dates from the last years of the artist's life. In 1894, the leading Belgian magazine L'art moderne mentioned the connection between Ensor and Gillray. Emile Verhaeren shares this opinion when he writes about Ensor in 1908. Ensor's father was British and it is likely that James Ensor discovered satirical work by artists such as Hogarth and Gillray in his father's extensive library and the many 19th century publications on the subject that were in circulation. There are a number of aspects in Ensor's work that are very indebted to the tradition of British 18th century satirical artists, such as his interest in facial expression and caricature, his fascination with social and political unrest and the depiction of crowds or overcrowded scenes. Gillray in particular was talented at depicting the crowd and his street scenes are full of details such as signboards, flags, signs and slogans as well as people absorbed in all sorts of activities. Gillray and Ensor also share a great interest in Napoleon, the subject of this drawing. Whereas Gillray worked in a very precise and controlled manner in his printmaking, his style in this drawing is particularly free.