Oriental Head

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 variations directly from drawings, mimicking the fluidity of original sketches. Measuring 11 1/8 x 8 1/4 inches, this intimate sheet captures a stylized "Oriental" head, reflecting early 19th-century European fascination with Eastern cultures amid the Romantic era's taste for the exotic and picturesque. As one of the earliest color lithographs, it showcases lithography's revolutionary potential just five years after its invention by Alois Senefelder, bridging hand-drawn art with reproducible prints. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1949), it highlights how such techniques democratized access to Mortimer's imaginative visions. This work not only exemplifies technical innovation but also cultural curiosity, offering a window into how Western artists romanticized the "Orient" through idealized heads—perfect for pondering the blend of artistry and imagination.

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