Half Circle Guard, Medium Guard
September 1, 1798
Medium
Hand-colored etching and aquatint
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 7/8 × 14 9/16 in. (30.1 × 37 cm) Plate: 10 3/4 × 13 in. (27.3 × 33 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
59.533.763(22)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This hand-colored etching and aquatint, created in 1798, captures two precise fencing positions: the “Half Circle Guard” and the “Medium Guard.” Produced through a collaboration between fencing master Henry Angelo and artist Thomas Rowlandson, the print belongs to a series designed to illustrate proper sword techniques for students and enthusiasts. Rowlandson’s lively line work brings clarity and energy to the instructional image, while the hand-applied colors highlight the figures’ stances and the gleam of their blades. At the close of the eighteenth century, fencing remained both a practica...
About the Artist
Henry Angelo|Thomas Rowlandson (British|British) · 1756 |1757 –1835 |1827
British, London 1756–1835 London|British, London 1757–1827 London