Sophia's Modesty Shocked by a Fall from her Horse, from "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling"
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 5/8 × 7 1/16 in. (11.7 × 17.9 cm) Plate: 4 7/16 × 6 7/8 in. (11.3 × 17.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.560(8)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delightful etching, titled *Sophia’s Modesty Shocked by a from her Horse*, captures a lively moment from Henry Fielding’s beloved 1749 novel *The History of Tom Jones, aling*. Created by Thomas Rowlandson in 179, it belongs to a series of illustrations that brought the picaresque adventures of the roguish Tom and the virtuous Sophia Western to life. Rowlandson, a master of British caricature, infused the scene with his signature wit and exaggerated energy, reflecting the era’s fascination with satirical prints that poked fun at social norms and human folly. Printed as an intimate etching...
About the Artist
Henry Fielding|Thomas Rowlandson (British|British) · 1707 |1757 –1754 |1827
British, 1707–1754|British, London 1757–1827 London