John Milton
Medium
Stipple and engraving
Dimensions
Plate: 8 13/16 × 6 3/8 in. (22.4 × 16.2 cm) Sheet: 9 13/16 × 7 7/16 in. (24.9 × 18.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.756-2026
Tags
Art Historical Context
This stipple engraving, created in 1786 by Caroline Watson after an earlier portrait by Samuel Cooper, presents a dignified likeness of the English poet John Milton. The work captures Milton in a formal pose, reflecting his status as one of Britain’s most celebrated literary figures. Produced more than a century after his death, the print served to keep Milton’s image alive for new generations of readers. Stipple engraving, the medium used here, employs countless tiny dots to create subtle gradations of tone and texture—an ideal technique for reproducing the delicate details of miniature port...
About the Artist
Caroline Watson|Samuel Cooper|John Milton (British|Flemish) · 1760 |1577 –1814 |1640
British, London 1760/61–1814 London|Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp