Greed Tries Either to Overtake or to Outrun Fortune
Anonymous, 1720, etching and engraving
A swag of lifeless branches and venomous serpents frames the portrait medallion of John Law, emblems of the curse of succumbing to the financier’s barren vision for making quick money. Below, acquisitive figures of all ages, such as the man at center holding a ludicrously large befeathered hat and the youngster in front of him helping himself to the fruit in his companion’s basket, expand on this theme. At the rear, groups of figures, frenzied by an insatiable appetite for self-
enrichment, race to the summit in pursuit of imagined profits. Alas, they are unaware of the precipitous cliff that awaits them just beyond view. Unable to stop before it is too late, they find themselves hurtling into the void.
: 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.
