Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Image: 6 3/16 × 5 1/4 in. (15.7 × 13.4 cm) Sheet (trimmed to plate): 8 1/8 × 6 5/16 in. (20.7 × 16 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.1448
Tags
Art Historical Context
This evocative etching and engraving, titledKing Lear* and created in 1783, captures a dramatic moment from William Shakespeare's timeless tragedy. Produced as part of John Boydell's ambitious Shakespeare Gallery project, it features the work of renowned portraitist Sir Joshua Reynolds, whose painting served as the source, meticulously engraved by William Sharp. The image likely portrays the tormented king amid his descent into madness, surrounded by male figures symbolizing power, betrayal, and folly—themes central to Shakespeare's exploration of authority and human frailty. Boydell's initia...
About the Artist
William Shakespeare|William Sharp|John Boydell|Sir Joshua Reynolds (British|British|British|British) · 1840 |1831 |1564 |1564 –1877 |1912 |1616 |1616
British, active 1840–77|British, London 1831–1912 London|British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon|British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon