First Partition of Poland (1772). 18th-century satirical cartoon showing Poland being divided up by European rulers in front of the weeping Polish king Stanislaw II August (left) and the powerless Ottoman Sultan (Mustafa III,right). Those dividing up Poland are (left to right): Louis XV of France,Catherine the Great of Russia,Joseph II of Germany (Holy Roman Emperor),and Frederick the Great of Prussia. Titled 'The Polish Plumb-Cake',the accompanying caption quotes the warning of the devil emerging from under the table: 'Thy kingdom,Stanisl'us,is now at stake. To four such stomachs,'tis a mere plumb cake'. The artist was John Lodge (active 1782-1796),and this copy of the artwork was published in the 'Westminster Magazine',vol. II,p. 416 (London,1 September 1774) |