Gillray situates this masterful satire at a dinner party hosted by Napoleon and Josephine. The large table is cluttered with plates bearing dishes that have been sculpted to represent British institutions. Immediately in front of Napoleon a plate bearing St. James sits next to the Bank of England, here decorated with the French tricolor. Josephine drinks a glass of Maraschino and dines on Prune Monsieur. A second plate set before her bears the head of a bishop and is labeled "Oh de Roast Beef of Old England." Gillray's choice of such a dish suggests a resemblance between Josephine and Salome and recalls an earlier caricature which features Josephine as a dancing harem girl. The guests seated at the table are so absorbed in consuming the dishes set before them and drinking wine that they do not see the right hand of Jehovah (identified by George) that appears in a group of clouds and points at the warning--"MENE MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN"--written on the wall of the chamber. The left hand of the vision also appears in the clouds and holds a pair of scales that weigh the crown of France against the liberty cap. The scale inscribed "Vive Le Roi" carries the weight while the scale inscribed "Despotism" is overturned and drops its contents. Among those seated at the table, Napoleon alone perceives the handwriting. In his alarm Napoleon drops his glass of wine and overturns 3 bottles with his outstretched hand. Seated at the center of the table, he is the focal point of the image. Arms flung wide, Napoleon twists around to the right and his brow furrows in dismay as he registers the vision's meaning. A golden eagle that ornaments the top of his armchair mirrors Napoleon's reaction both in the fright it registers on its face and in the physiognomic similarity with which Gillray has chosen to represent the eagle's profile. Behind Napoleon two ranks of soldiers wearing fur caps and holding blood-soaked sabers stand guard. Like Napoleon their eyes dart upwards to read the vision in the clouds while their faces turn downwards in dismay. Josephine, a grotesquely large woman, sits at her husband's left hand. She presses one hand to her breast while guzzling a cup of wine--some of which dribbles down her face. Josephine so frantically engages in consuming the food set on the table that she is unaware that she has become a spectacle for Napoleon's three sisters who stand behind her and look on with smug and simpering expressions on their faces. The sisters, Elisa, Pauline and Caroline, are all slender women whose fashionable dress in the Greek manner is here lampooned by Gillray who depicts them bare-breasted and with snaky springs of curls in their hair. A general seated at Napoleon's right opens his eyes wide and intently watches Napoleon's reaction with fright. His companion, another officer, delightedly dips his spoon into a dish labeled "Tower of London." On the far left of the table, a gentleman, identified by George as Arthur O'Connor, caresses the face of the woman sitting next to him and offers her a plate of "Pommes D' Am[our]." On the opposite side of the table, O'Connor's lecherous behavior is mirrored by a French officer who makes advances towards his dinner companion . Sheet shows some signs of staining due to glue used on the verso. Gillray situates this masterful satire at a dinner party hosted by Napoleon and Josephine. The large table is cluttered with plates bearing dishes that have been sculpted to represent British institutions. Immediately in front of Napoleon a plate bearing St. James sits next to the Bank of England, here decorated with the French tricolor. Josephine drinks a glass of Maraschino and dines on Prune Monsieur. A second plate set before her bears the head of a bishop and is labeled "Oh de Roast Beef of Old England." Gillray's choice of such a dish suggests a resemblance between Josephine and Salome and recalls an earlier caricature which features Josephine as a dancing harem girl. The guests seated at the table are so absorbed in consuming the dishes set before them and drinking wine that they do not see the right hand of Jehovah (identified by George) that appears in a group of clouds and points at the warning--"MENE MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN"--written on the wall of the chamber. The left hand of the vision also appears in the clouds and holds a pair of scales that weigh the crown of France against the liberty cap. The scale inscribed "Vive Le Roi" carries the weight while the scale inscribed "Despotism" is overturned and drops its contents. Among those seated at the table, Napoleon alone perceives the handwriting. In his alarm Napoleon drops his glass of wine and overturns 3 bottles with his outstretched hand. Seated at the center of the table, he is the focal point of the image. Arms flung wide, Napoleon twists around to the right and his brow furrows in dismay as he registers the vision's meaning. A golden eagle that ornaments the top of his armchair mirrors Napoleon's reaction both in the fright it registers on its face and in the physiognomic similarity with which Gillray has chosen to represent the eagle's profile. Behind Napoleon two ranks of soldiers wearing fur caps and holding blood-soaked sabers stand guard. Like Napoleon their eyes dart upwards to read the vision in the clouds while their faces turn downwards in dismay. Josephine, a grotesquely large woman, sits at her husband's left hand. She presses one hand to her breast while guzzling a cup of wine--some of which dribbles down her face. Josephine so frantically engages in consuming the food set on the table that she is unaware that she has become a spectacle for Napoleon's three sisters who stand behind her and look on with smug and simpering expressions on their faces. The sisters, Elisa, Pauline and Caroline, are all slender women whose fashionable dress in the Greek manner is here lampooned by Gillray who depicts them bare-breasted and with snaky springs of curls in their hair. A general seated at Napoleon's right opens his eyes wide and intently watches Napoleon's reaction with fright. His companion, another officer, delightedly dips his spoon into a dish labeled "Tower of London." On the far left of the table, a gentleman, identified by George as Arthur O'Connor, caresses the face of the woman sitting next to him and offers her a plate of "Pommes D' Am[our]." On the opposite side of the table, O'Connor's lecherous behavior is mirrored by a French officer who makes advances towards his dinner companion . Sheet shows some signs of staining due to glue used on the verso. Published by Js. Gillray/Humphrey? 1803-08-24 Caption: Pubd Augt 24th 1803, By Js Gillray, 27, St James's Street London Printed Signature: James Gillray invt. & ft. Collector's Mark: [a small triangle]