Il Comitatodella Sanità (The Health Committee)

This hand-colored etching satirizes Italian public health authorities through exaggerated physiognomies and theatrical posturing. A group of officials, rendered with bulbous noses, grotesque features, and pompous dress, congregate around a cauldron—possibly evoking both medical practice and alchemical charlatry. One figure hoists a telescope or medical instrument skyward in mock authority. The print belongs to the 18th-century tradition of political caricature descended from Hogarth and perfected by artists like Gillray and Rowlandson. Such images attacked institutional incompetence and professional pretension through distorted anatomy. This work exemplifies how caricature evolved into the visual satire framework that would underpin modern comic art.