Hand-coloured print 'Extirpation of the Plagues of Egypt'.

This is a simple but effective celebration of Nelson’s resounding victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile on 1 August 1798. A colossal Nelson stands in the mouth of the river capturing and culling tri-coloured crocodiles. The biblical plagues of Egypt of the title are transformed into crocodiles, which stand in turn for the French ships taken or destroyed during the battle: one with flames issuing from its jaws evidently represents ‘L’Orient’, whose dramatic explosion was the focus of many contemporary paintings and prints of the battle.

Unlike Gillray’s satire of Nelson as ‘The Hero of the Nile’ (see PAF3888), published a few weeks later, this print shows him, in line with contemporary newspaper reports as the unqualified British hero, a modern demi-god, combining Moses with Hercules.