The Royal Collection holds royal portraits from visual works to decorative arts
AFTER WILLIAM HEATH (1794-1840)
State of the Giraffe
c.1828-30RCIN 751278
Not all popular prints were flattering. During his regency and reign, George IV (r.1820–30) found himself the subject of many satires. In this etching, the King and his mistress are pictured operating a windlass, which hoists a sickly giraffe into the air. The print draws attention to the King's corpulent figure, and addresses the health of the King's Nubian giraffe, which he had received as a diplomatic gift from the viceroy of Egypt in 1827.
