Caliban

1775

John Hamilton Mortimer

Associated Names
John Hamilton Mortimer

Artist, British, 1740 - 1779

The image depicts a portrait of a person's upper body within an oval frame. The individual is shown with their head tilted slightly upward and to the side, with a muscular arm and elongated fingers resting on a branch. The facial features are exaggerated, with a prominent brow, wide nose, and full lips, and the hair is wild. The person's clothing is not detailed, but their skin appears textured. There are no visible jewelry or objects. The background is lightly textured, enclosed in a rectangular frame with a title "CALIBAN" at the top and a script below. The drawing is set against an off-white backdrop with a narrow border around the image.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Thomas Vogler in memory of his brother Donald J. Vogler

  • Dimensions

    plate: 40.6 × 32.9 cm (16 × 12 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 55.3 × 38.5 cm (21 3/4 × 15 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2017.53.67

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Sunderland 1986, no. 96.6

  • Series Title

    Twelve Characters from Shakespeare

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Campbell Fine Art, London, 2 August 1992); Donald Vogler, Portland, OR; gift to NGA, 2017.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1986

  • Sunderland, John. "John Hamilton Mortimer: His Life and Works," Walpole Society 52 (1986): no. 96.6

Inscriptions

upper center in plate: CALIBAN.; lower center in plate: Do not torment me prithee / I'll bring my wood home faster. / Tempest Act II Scene the 2. / Publish'd May 20 1775 by J. MORTIMER, Norfolk Street, STRAND

Wikidata ID

Q77259465

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