Angelo's House–Escalus, a Justice, Elbow, Froth, Clown, Officers, etc. (Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act 2, Scene 1)
Medium
Stipple engraving
Dimensions
Image: 17 1/2 x 23 3/8 in. (44.5 x 59.4 cm) Plate: 19 13/16 × 25 in. (50.3 × 63.5 cm) Sheet: 20 1/16 × 26 3/16 in. (51 × 66.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. R. Watkins, 1942
Accession Number
42.16.83
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling courtroom of Shakespeare's *Measure for Measure* with this vibrant stipple engraving, capturing Act 2, Scene 1 at Angelo's house. Here, the pompous Justice Escalus clashes with the bumbling constable Elbow, the tipsy Froth, and a lively Clown amid officers and attendants. Painted by Robert Smirke and masterfully engraved by Thomas Ryder, with contributions from Charles Gauthier Playter this 1798 print pulses with the Bard's wit and social satire, highlighting themes of justice, hypocrisy, and human folly in Vienna's corrupt underbelly. Produced for John and Josiah Boyde...
About the Artist
Thomas Ryder I|John & Josiah Boydell|Charles Gauthier Playter|Robert Smirke|William Shakespeare (British|British|British|British|British) · 1746 |1750 |1746 |1767 |1769 –1810 |1811 |1810 |1787 |1830
British, 1746–1810|British, Mildenhall, Suffolk 1750–1811 Keswick, Cumberland|British, 1746–1810|British, active London 1767–87|British, Bristol 1769–1830 London