Five Standing Muscovites (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, pl. 313)
Medium
Engraving; first state of two
Dimensions
sheet: 2 11/16 x 4 1/4 in. (6.8 x 10.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.35(230)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Five Standing Muscovites a delicate engraving by William Hogarth from 1723–24, as plate 313 in Aubry de La Mottraye's travelogue *Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of* (London, 1724). This first-state impression captures five Russian men from Moscow in a compact sheet measuring just 2 11/16 x 4 1/4 inches, showcasing Hogarth's early mastery as an engraver before his fame in satirical prints like *A Harlot's Progress*. De La Mottraye, a French adventurer, documented his journeys across continents, offering European audiences rare glimpses into distant cultures during the ear...
About the Artist
William Hogarth|Aubry de La Mottraye · 1697–1764
William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English painter, printmaker, and pictorial satirist who became the first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Born into poverty in London, the son of a failed schoolmaster who was imprisoned for debt, Hogarth's early experiences with the harsh realities of 18th-century urban life profoundly shaped his artistic vision. After apprenticing with si...