Oriental Head
Medium
Lithograph (polyautograph)
Dimensions
sheet: 11 1/8 x 8 1/4 in. (28.2 x 21 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.40.25
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Oriental Head," a captivating lithograph created around 1803 by Charles Heath the elder after John Hamilton Mortimer, invites visitors to explore the intersection of British printmaking and exotic portraiture. Mortimer (1746–1779), a prominent English artist known for his dramatic, romantic style influenced by 17th-century masters like Salvator Rosa, provided the original drawing. Heath, an innovative engraver and early adopter of lithography, transformed it into this print using the polyautograph technique—a pioneering method involving multiple lithographic stones to produce subtle color var...
About the Artist
Charles Heath, the elder|John Hamilton Mortimer (British|British) · 1785 |1740 –1848 |1779
British, London 1785–1848 London|British, Eastbourne 1740–1779 London