Fair of the Wholesale Wind-Peddler
Reflection of the Mercenary World, in the Beginning of the Rise and Fall of Stock Trading
Mr. John Law, King’s Councilor in All Affairs, Controller-General of Finances in 1720
Leonard Schenk (Dutch, 1696–1767) and Pieter Schenk II (Dutch, 1700–1750), 1720, etching and engraving
Deriving from fashion plates depicting the French king and his courtiers that were popular at the time, this print portrays John Law at the height of his powers, dressed in sumptuous attire and standing in a formal garden that recalls Versailles. In his hand, he holds a document whose Latin inscription translates as “I speak my words to the King”—a Biblical phrase used here to signal Law’s royal connections and the fact that he has the ear of France’s regent, the duc d’Orléans. The print typically kicks off The Great Mirror of Folly’s image section, merging the volume’s narrative of the bubbles with the story of a celebrity’s fall from grace.
: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries.
