{"product_id":"marriage-a-la-mode-2-the-tete-a-tete-william-hogarth","title":"Marriage A-la-Mode: 2, The Tête à Tête - William Hogarth","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe second plate from William Hogarth's Marriage A-la-Mode series, depicting a scene of domestic exhaustion and financial neglect in eighteenth-century London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis print is the second plate from William Hogarth's six-part series, Marriage A-la-Mode. It depicts the morning scene in the home of the Viscount and his wife, following a night of separate dissipation. The Viscount sits in a chair, exhausted, with a dog sniffing at a cap protruding from his pocket, suggesting a recent romantic encounter elsewhere. His wife sits opposite him, stretching with a look of boredom, while a steward departs in the background, holding a stack of unpaid bills.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHogarth uses the setting to convey moral commentary. The room is filled with signs of excess and neglect. A musical instrument lies on the floor, and a book of music is discarded, indicating the superficiality of their interests. The mantelpiece is cluttered with kitsch ornaments, and the paintings on the wall include a religious subject partially obscured by a curtain, contrasting with the secular chaos below. The steward, clutching a single receipt, represents the financial ruin that follows such profligate behaviour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTechnically, the work demonstrates Hogarth's mastery of the etched line. He employs varied hatching to define the textures of the carpet, the upholstery, and the clothing of the figures. The composition is structured to guide the eye from the central couple to the retreating steward, effectively narrating the domestic discord. This print serves as a critique of the arranged marriages common among the eighteenth-century aristocracy, where status and wealth were prioritised over personal compatibility. The scene is devoid of warmth, capturing a moment of profound alienation between two people bound by contract rather than affection. Through his precise draughtsmanship, Hogarth transforms a domestic interior into a stage for social observation, documenting the habits and failings of his contemporaries with sharp, observational clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin-top:2rem;padding-top:1.5rem;border-top:1px solid #e5e5e5;\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:0.85rem;color:#888;font-weight:600;margin:0 0 0.75rem;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.05em;\"\u003eYou might also like\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:0.5rem;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/apotheosis-of-hercules-giovanni-domenico-tiepolo\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#2a555a;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003eApotheosis of Hercules - Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo — Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/portrait-of-charles-i-of-england-anthony-van-dyck\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#2a555a;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003ePortrait of Charles I of England - Anthony van Dyck — Anthony van Dyck\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"William Hogarth","offers":[{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ -","offer_id":58574238220623,"sku":null,"price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ -","offer_id":58574246674767,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ -","offer_id":58574246707535,"sku":null,"price":49.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":58574246740303,"sku":null,"price":89.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":58574246773071,"sku":null,"price":89.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":58574246805839,"sku":null,"price":89.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":58574246838607,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":58574246871375,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":58574246904143,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":58574246936911,"sku":null,"price":185.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":58574246969679,"sku":null,"price":185.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":58574247002447,"sku":null,"price":185.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0833\/9292\/1935\/files\/Marriage-A-la-Mode_-2-The-T-te-T-te_Poster_CompositorV1_1787801925681.jpg?v=1787802436","url":"https:\/\/www.solisprints.com\/products\/marriage-a-la-mode-2-the-tete-a-tete-william-hogarth","provider":"Solis Prints","version":"1.0","type":"link"}