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Title
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[Gulliver licks the dust in front of the King of Luggnag]
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Description
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Two weeks after Gulliver’s arrival in Luggnag the King invited him to court. Gulliver was required to lie on his stomach and lick the dust off the floor (which had been swept because he was a stranger) as he moved towards the King. This task was only allowed for those of the highest ranks at the court when they wanted to be admitted into the court. Anyone who does this is not permitted to wipe their mouth in the presence of the King. When a high-ranking criminal was sentenced to death, they would be executed by spreading a poisonous powder on the floor and having the criminal lick the floor in the same manner. In this image we see Gulliver licking the ground in front of the King’s footstool. In the background we see courtiers who are watching this ceremony. Two courtiers hold brooms, indicating that the floor had been swept before Gulliver began because he was a guest. If someone was an enemy of other courtiers, then extra dust would be spread before they licked the floor. The King sits on his throne with his dog sitting on his footstool, and a large cat behind him. The same image appears in the 1839 Krabbe edition.
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Image Creator
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Grandville (Illustrator)
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Identifier
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mta:21761
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Source Name
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Gulliver's Reisen in unbekannte Länder
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Image
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Subject
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rituals
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Political customs and rites
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fictional works
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Fictitious characters
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imaginary places
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imaginary creatures
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satire
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