Taste in High Life
May 1, 1798
Medium
Engraving and aquatint; second state
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed to plate line): 15 1/16 x 18 1/8 in. (38.2 x 46 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.35(51)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the satirical world of William Hogarth with *Taste in High Life a vibrant engraving and aquatint by Samuel Phillips on May 1, 1798. This second-state print, measuring 15 1/16 x 18 1/8 inches, captures Hogarth's signature bite against 18th-century high society's pretensions. Originally from Hogarth's mid-1740s oeuvre, it was revived in print form decades later, reflecting enduring interest in his moralistic commentary. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it exemplifies the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund's treasures. The scene unfolds in a lavish inte...
About the Artist
William Hogarth|Samuel Phillips · 1697–1764
William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English painter, printmaker, and pictorial satirist who became the first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Born into poverty in London, the son of a failed schoolmaster who was imprisoned for debt, Hogarth's early experiences with the harsh realities of 18th-century urban life profoundly shaped his artistic vision. After apprenticing with si...