Death and Bonaparte, The Two Kings of Terror
Medium
Hand-colored etching; second issue
Dimensions
Sheet (inset): 9 1/16 × 10 1/4 in. (23 × 26 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.2099
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the turbulent final days of the Napoleonic Wars, British satirist Thomas Rowlandson created *Death and Bonaparte, The Two Kings of Terror* on January 1, 1814, published by Rudolph Ackermann in London. This hand-colored etching, measuring about 9 by 10 inches, exemplifies the vibrant caricature tradition of Regency-era Britain. Rowlandson's loose, expressive lines and vivid hand-coloring bring to life a macabre scene featuring a skeletal Death astride a cannon, paired with Napoleon Bonaparte as twin harbingers of destruction amid soldiers and battlefield chaos. The print's biting satire ref...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Napoléon Bonaparte|Rudolph Ackermann, London · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...