La chose impossible, ou la commission des finances telle quil la faudroit pour les bien restaurer / Bunbury del. ; L.C. Ruotte sculp.

Print shows four bare-bottomed men, the ministers of finances, sitting around a table restoring their good health on the produce of other nations; as they consume the "Eau de la Plata" and "Eau du Sénégal," the "Terre du Potosi en Sorbet" and the "Terre du Perou" they excrete coins through holes in their chairs. On the left, another man urinates coins into a funnel in a box. This print may have counterrevolutionary overtones, suggesting that the Directory is deluding the people into believing that by continuing war and conquering other lands France will be able to restore its own financial health. The caption may suggest that it is as impossible to excrete wealth as it is to restore wealth through imperialist ventures.

Possibly purchased from Colnaghi & Co. in 1808. Source: Kate Heard, Royal Collection Trust, Windsor Castle.
de Vinck, 6961
Forms part of: French Political Cartoon Collection (Library of Congress).