Dotage 1790

This print, "Dotage," was etched by T. Smith around 1790. Here, the motif of the May-December romance is portrayed through a leering old man embracing a young woman, their clasped hands a symbolic binding. This pairing echoes throughout art history, from medieval allegories of youth and age to Renaissance paintings where old men pursue young nymphs, a theme rife with anxiety about mortality. Note the woman's averted gaze, a recurring gesture in depictions of forced unions, seen even in ancient Roman marriage reliefs, where the bride is often depicted with a similar reluctance. The exaggerated features of the old man carry an almost grotesque quality, tapping into the collective fear of aging and decay. This fear, I believe, manifests in the recurring motif of the "unnatural" union, revealing a subconscious struggle with time's passage. The cyclical reappearance of this motif, transformed yet still recognizable, reminds us of art's enduring power to express humanity’s deepest anxieties.