King Lear in the Storm
Henry Brintnell Bounetheau
ca. 1842
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry Du Pré Bounetheau
Accession Number
1946.3.14
Tags
buststormKing Lear
About this artwork
Henry Brintnell Bounetheau copied a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, president of the Royal Academy in England, to make this miniature. Such copies were common practice among miniaturists and full-scale painters alike. In Shakespeareâs King Lear the storm signifies the onset of the kingâs madness, after he discovers the betrayal of his two elder daughters. Conservation of this miniature was made possible through a generous grant provided by the Smithsonian Womenâs Committee.