The Mask
Medium
Stipple engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 9 3/4 x 7 1/2 in. (24.8 x 19 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.520.301
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, where *The Mask* (1783) offers a sharp glimpse into 18th-century British political satire. Created by caricaturist James Sayers, with engraving by James Bretherton this stipple engraving features prominent Whig politician Charles James Fox and former Prime Minister Frederick North, the 2nd Earl of Guilford. Measuring 9¾ x 7½ inches, the print uses the title "The Mask" to slyly critique political deception, a common trope in Georgian-era caricatures that lampooned the elite with exaggerated features and witty symbolism....
About the Artist
Charles James Fox|Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford|James Sayers|James Bretherton (British|British|British) · 1749 |1757 |1745 –1806 |1827 |1818
British, 1749–1806|British, London 1757–1827 London|London