The Marriage Settlement, Plate 1 - Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin II

A detailed 1745 engraving by Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin II, depicting the first scene of William Hogarth's satirical series, Marriage A-la-Mode.

This engraving, executed by Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin II, reproduces the first scene of William Hogarth's celebrated series, Marriage A-la-Mode. The composition depicts the formal negotiation of a marriage contract between two aristocratic families. On the left, the gout-stricken Earl Squanderfield points to his family tree, which traces his lineage back to William the Conqueror, while his son, the Viscount, admires his own reflection in a mirror. Opposite them, the wealthy merchant father of the bride examines the marriage settlement, while his daughter, the future Countess, sits beside a lawyer named Silvertongue. The interior is densely packed with visual cues that signal the vanity and moral decay of the subjects. The walls are adorned with paintings of saints and biblical scenes, which contrast sharply with the mercenary nature of the transaction occurring below. Hogarth employs a sharp, satirical eye to critique the practice of arranged marriages, where status and money are traded for affection. The technical execution by Scotin captures the fine details of the period costumes, the heavy furniture, and the expressions of the participants with precision. This print serves as a primary example of 18th-century social commentary. By translating Hogarth's painted narrative into a reproducible medium, the work reached a wider audience, allowing the public to engage with the artist's critique of the upper classes. The composition is balanced, with the central table acting as the physical and thematic anchor of the scene. Every element, from the dogs chained together in the foreground to the construction visible through the window, contributes to the narrative of a union built on financial gain rather than genuine connection. The work remains a precise record of the social anxieties and aesthetic values of mid-18th-century Britain.