Bardolph
May 20, 1775 (originally published); published 1809
Medium
Etching on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Plate: 40.5 × 42.4 cm (16 × 16 3/4 in.); Sheet: 60.5 × 43.2 cm (23 7/8 × 17 1/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
155619
Art Historical Context
Step into the dramatic world of Shakespeare with *Bardolph*, an etching by British artist John Hamilton Mortimer, originally published on May 20, 1775, and reissued in 1809. Bardolph, the boisterous, red-nosed companion to Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare's *Henry IV* and *Henry V*, is captured here in Mortimer's bold, expressive style. Known for his theatrical history paintings and prints influenced by Gothic and early Romantic sensibilities, Mortimer infuses the character with vivid personality, highlighting Bardolph's roguish charm amid the Bard's tales of tavern revelry and battlefield ant...
About the Artist
John Hamilton Mortimer · 1740–1779
Comment on works: History; Portraits; Genre