Italian Affectation, Real Characters
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 3/16 × 7 1/4 in. (23.3 × 18.4 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
59.533.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Italian Affectation, Real Characters" is a delightful hand-colored etching created between 1786 and 1791 by the renowned British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, in collaboration with Henry Brookes and Gaspare Pacchierotti. Measuring just 9 3/16 × 7 1/4 inches, this intimate print belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection. Rowlandson, a master of satirical illustration during the late 18th century, often lampooned social follies through exaggerated figures and sharp wit, aligning this work with the booming English caricature tradition. The title hints at its pla...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Henry Brookes|Gaspare Pacchierotti · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...