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Overview
A Rake's Progress is a series of eight paintings by William Hogarth. The canvases were produced in 1732–33, then engraved and published in 1735. Te Papa has the set of eight prints. The series shows the decline and fall of Tom Rakewell, the spendthrift son and heir of a rich merchant, who comes to London, wastes all his money on luxurious living, prostitution and gambling, and as a consequence is imprisoned in the Fleet Prison and ultimately the notorious Bethlem Hospital, or Bedlam. The original paintings are in Sir John Soane's Museum, London, where they are normally on display. The filmmaker Alan Parker has described the works as an ancestor to the storyboard.
In Plate 6 Tom, wigless and cursing, has just gambled away his second fortune, playing dice. He has also been interpreted in his pose as he falls on one knee as pleading with the Almighty - who does not come to his aid. The setting is the gaming room of White's Club, Soho.
Tom is not the only loser here – a dejected highwayman (with pistol and mask protruding from his pocket) sits by the fire, ignoring a small boy who offers him a drink, while a nobleman, eager to continue playing, pleads with a moneylender for an advance. Only two croupiers have noticed the smoke curling in from behind the panelling. Everyone else gambles on, unaware of the impending danger. Parallels with the story of the Roman Emperor Nero, previoussly seen in the Tavern scene (Plate 3), are evident here.
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rake's_Progress
Dr Mark Stocker, Curator Historical International Art November 2016