The Corsican Spider in his Web

Thomas Rowlandson, after George Moutard Woodward

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of an elaborate web with a spider and various flies. The drawing describes a large spider at the center of a web. Around the spider, numerous flies are entangled in the web, each representing different historical or political connotations such as "British Fly," "Spanish Fly," "Russian Fly," among others. Each fly has its own label. The web is intricately drawn, capturing a sense of entrapment and hierarchy. The background is colored in a light blue shade with some dark shading on the upper part of the drawing. The title at the bottom reads "The Corsican Spider in His Web."