Falstaff Rising Slowly (Shakespeare, First Part of King Henry IV, Act 5, Scene 4)
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 1/2 × 9 1/16 in. (31.8 × 23 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947
Accession Number
47.100.1064
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Falstaff Rising Slowly*, a captivating etching and engraving from June 4, 1794, capturing a humorous moment from William Shakespeare's *First Part of King Henry IV Act 5, Scene 4. Here, the rotund knight Sir John Falstaff—ever the comic relief—rises sluggishly after feigning death on the battlefield at Shrewsbury, fooling his comrades with his exaggerated antics. This print is part of the ambitious Boydell Shakespeare Gallery project, by publishers John and Josiah Boydell in 1789 to celebrate British literature and elevate engraving as fine art. By commissioning top artists like Robert...
About the Artist
William Shakespeare|Robert Smirke|John & Josiah Boydell|James Neagle (British|British|British|British) · 1840 |1831 |1564 |1564 –1877 |1912 |1616 |1616
British, active 1840–77|British, London 1831–1912 London|British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon|British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon