John Milton
Medium
Engraving; second state of three
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 3/4 × 5 3/4 in. (19.7 × 14.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.756-1680
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking portrait of **John Milton**, the renowned poet and author of *Paradise Lost captured in this 1670 engraving by master printmaker William Faithorne the Elder. Faithorne, a leading figure in 17th-century engraving, produced this image when Milton was in his early 60s and already blind, yet at the height of his literary fame. This intimate bust-length depiction, measuring just 7 3/4 × 5 3/4 inches, conveys the poet's dignified presence through Faithorne's precise line work, evoking the grandeur of Anthony van Dyck's portrait style, which heavily influenced the engraver. As th...
About the Artist
John Milton|William Faithorne the Elder (British|British|British|British) · 1608 |1807 |1825 |1608 –1674 |1856 |1899 |1674
British, London 1608–1674 London|British, active London, 1807/8–56|British, North Shields, Northumberland 1825–1899 Weybridge, Surrey|British, London 1608–1674 London