[THE WORTHY DUTCHMAN - EERWARDIGEN NEDERLANDER

[Netherlands, 1780. Engraving, 10 x 15 inches (plate mark) on a sheet 13 1/2 x 17 3/4 inches. Very minor soiling. Fine. Matted. This cartoon shows a wealthy Dutch merchant at center, surrounded by several artisans and tradespeople, all gathered around a trunk full of money bags. The central merchant figure empties coins into the apron of an artisan, while he holds up an unfriendly and dismissive hand toward a group of foreign nationals with bonds and treaties of alliance - Great Britain, France, and possibly America, are all represented. To the left, a man is being fitted with "Oeconomische Brillen" or "economic glasses," a reference to the Dutch ability to see profit even in war. Behind the central figures gathered around the money chest, a woman with a spear, possibly the figure of Britannia, leads a column of men. In the foreground, the Dutch lion attacks England, in the form of a dog, upon which stands an angry rooster, symbolizing France. In the background, a temple containing Liberty is being toppled while various virtues float above it. In the background is a fleet of ships, all flying the Dutch flag, and Mercury - representing commerce - flies over them. The print is a warning against Dutch investments in British securities, on both economic and political grounds.

A fine clean copy, with wide margins beyond the platemark. OCLC locates a copy at the University of Minnesota; other copies located at the American Antiquarian Society, Colonial Williamsburg, and the British Library. A lovely copy of a scarce print. BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOG 5720. DOLMETSCH 67.