Shakespeare Seated Between the Dramatic Muse and the Genius of Painting, Who is Pointing Him Out as the Proper Subject for Her Pencil
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 3/8 × 6 7/8 in. (31.5 × 17.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1958
Accession Number
58.524.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this enchanting 1797 etching and, William Shakespeare is gloriously depicted seated between the Dramatic Muse—symbolizing theater's inspiration—and the Genius of Painting who gestures toward the Bard as her ideal subject. Designed by neoclassical sculptor Thomas Banks and published by the influential Boydell brothers, John and Josiah, with engraving by James Stow, the captures the era's profound admiration for Shakespeare. Subtle details like musical instruments evoke the multifaceted genius of poetry, drama, and music in his works. Created amid Britain's late-18th-century "Shakespeare man...