Bandit Beneath a Tree
1795–1801
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Image: 15 1/4 × 10 7/8 in. (38.8 × 27.6 cm) Sheet (cut within platemark): 15 7/8 × 11 9/16 in. (40.3 × 29.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
A. Hyatt Mayor Purchase Fund, Marjorie Phelps Starr Bequest, 2013
Accession Number
2013.908
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, Lamar West, son of the renowned neoclassical painter Benjamin West, *Bandit Beneath a Tree (1795–1801), an evocative etching that captures a solitary armed figure resting under a sprawling tree. This print, measuring about 15¼ × 10⅞ inches, draws viewers into a moment of quiet tension, blending the rugged individualism of the bandit with the natural shelter of the tree. West, trained in his father's London studio and active in the Royal Academy circle, often explored dramatic historical and genre scenes, reflecting the era's shift toward Romantic sensibilities amid En...