Eastern Patriarch, from the first issue of Specimens of Polyautography
1803
Medium
Lithograph in black on cream wove paper, tipped onto mount with aquatint border in gray on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Image/primary support: 23 × 31.7 cm (9 1/16 × 12 1/2 in.); Secondary support: 37.5 × 48.9 cm (14 13/16 × 19 5/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
229002
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Despite its title Eastern Patriarch, Barry’s lithograph directly copies the head of King Lear from his painting King Lear Weeping Over the Body of Cordelia (1786–88), as well as an earlier print of the same subject. Barry’s image of Lear calls to mind the king’s words from Shakespeare’s play: “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! . . . Singe my white head!”
About the Artist
James Barry · 1741–1806
Irish painter. Comment on works: History; mythology; Religious