Het Committé van Algemeen Waakzaamheid, uit: Hollandia Regenerata
David Hess was an amateur artist and Swiss soldier who served in the Dutch stadtholder’s forces. When allegiances changed in 1795, he left the country disappointed. In a series of prints titled Hollandia Regenerata, he mocked the new Batavian Republic. Its government followed the French model, with rule by committees. The committee in this print is tasked with general vigilance, but its members are too busy drinking or sleeping off their stupor.