Four Heads from the Raphael Cartoons at Hampton Court
c. 1729
Medium
etching
Dimensions
sheet: 28.4 × 41.3 cm (11 3/16 × 16 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Addie Burr Clark
Accession Number
1946.9.80
Art Historical Context
In the National Gallery of Art's collection, William Hogarth's *Four Heads from the Raphael Cons at Hampton Court* (c. 1729) captures the expressive faces from Raphael's monumental tapestry designs, originally created in the early 16th century for Sistine Chapel. These seven massive cartoons—full-scale preparatory drawings—were acquired by King Charles I in 1623 and housed at Hampton Court Palace, prized treasures of British royal art. Hogarth, a pioneering English artist known for his satirical engravings and moralistic scenes, produced this etching as a faithful reproductive print, making Re...
About the Artist
William Hogarth · 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...