Revolutionary ImageryTrue and curious relationship / of an extraordinary Monster that was found in Peru. 1789. Typographed satirical cupboard decorated with engraved wood. [275 x 430]. Beautiful and rare carefully washed proof, the few folds and tears skillfully restored on the reverse. A few small persistent freckles. All margins. This rare pamphlet aims in a roundabout way at Marie-Antoinette, here represented as a herpy monster allegedly discovered in Peru where it terrorizes and devours men and animals. Since 1784, the discovery of the monster from Lake Fagua has been the subject of multiple engraved representations that have fascinated the public. The craze is such that some elegant women have their hair done "à la harpie". The pamphleteering and allegorical aspect does not escape the gazetteers' attention, however. The monster first appears as a caricature of the Comptroller General of Finance Charles-Alexandre de Calonne, before slipping into a satire of the queen herself (see Annie Duprat, Marie-Antoinette, 1755-1793: Images et visages d'une reine, Paris, Autrement, 2013). The printing permit at the foot of our imagery dates from June 22, 1789, two days after the oath of the Jeu de Paume and shortly before the outbreak of the hunger riots of the Parisian people. Some variants of this subject are known, some of which are preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.