The Art of Ingeniously Tormenting
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 1/8 × 6 9/16 in. (20.7 × 16.7 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
59.533.1087
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Art of Ingeniously Tormenting1808)** is a lively hand-colored etching by the renowned British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, collaboration with publisher Thomas Tegg, illustrator George Murgatroyd, and inspired by Jane Collier's satirical1753 essay *The Art of Tormenting Measuring just 8 1/8 × 6 9/16 inches, this compact print captures the mischievous spirit of Georgian-era satire, poking fun at human folly through scenes of playful—or pointed—torment involving men, women, boys, girls, and animals. Rowlandson's signature style shines here: exaggerated figures, dynamic compositions, and...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Thomas Tegg|George Murgatroyd Woodward|Jane Collier · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...