This is the print publisher John Boydell, wearing his alderman's robes (he was an official, and eventually became Lord Mayor, of the City of London). He is standing in front of a pile of Shakespeare's plays which he has 'sacrificed' to the 'god' of Avarice by setting them on fire.

Boydell had commissioned, and published prints after, paintings illustrating scenes from Shakespeare. He claimed that he was heroically trying to support struggling British history painters by giving them work; however, Gillray's print suggests that he is sacrificing Shakespeare in order to make a large profit. Most contemporaries agreed that the paintings Boydell commissioned were not very good, and in the end his scheme was not even a financial success, as war with France disrupted the print trade and sales were very poor.

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