Judge — December 8, 1883 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes Luigi Palma di Cesnola, an Italian archaeologist and art dealer. The central figure—a workman with a mustache—juggles various tasks: repairing statues ("Antique Statues Made to Order"), fixing a broken sculpture ("Cesnola - Repairing Neatly Done"), and managing other work ("I Do All My Own Work"). The satire attacks Cesnola's credibility by suggesting he fabricates or artificially "restores" antiquities for sale, presenting them as genuine discoveries. The ornate busts visible above represent the fraudulent merchandise. The cartoon implies Cesnola is essentially a craftsman manufacturing fake artifacts rather than a legitimate archaeologist, mocking both his commercial practices and the authenticity of items he claimed to have excavated.