The Prospect before us, No. 2

published 1791

Thomas Rowlandson

Associated Names
Thomas Rowlandson

Artist, British, 1756 - 1827

This is a drawing of a theatrical performance in a grand theater. The drawing features a scene set in an elaborate theater with a highly detailed audience filling the multi-tiered balconies. Two central figures are depicted on stage, energetically dancing and holding garlands of flowers. The theater is grand, with intricately designed boxes and a chandelier on the sides. The audience is animated, each person expressing different emotions as they watch the performance. The overall tone of the drawing is vibrant and lively.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    hand-colored etching

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 34.1 × 47.9 cm (13 7/16 × 18 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1945.5.624

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Grego 1880, Vol. I, no. 286

Associated Artworks

See all 196 artworks

Embarking from Brighthelmstone to Dieppe

Thomas Rowlandson

1787

This is an image of a red book cover. The cover is made of red leather with gold inscriptions and decorations. The words "CARICATURES. II." are printed in large, gold uppercase letters in the center of the book, above an ornate gold emblem. The border is embellished with gold lines and small golden bird motifs at the corners. The leather is textured, giving the book a luxurious and vintage look.

Caricatures (volume II)

Thomas Rowlandson

1756

Embarking from Brighthelmstone to Dieppe

Thomas Rowlandson

1787

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1950

  • Rosenwald Collection: An Exhibition of Recent Acquisitions, NGA, 1950, no. 97, repro.

1953

  • The Collector's Taste, Andrew Dickinson White Art Museum, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1953-1954.

1983

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., July 1983.

Bibliography

1880

  • Grego, Joseph. Rowlandson the caricaturist; a selection from his works with anecdotal descriptions of his famous caricatures. 2 vols. London: Chattoand Windus, 1880. Reprint. New York: Collector's Editions, 1970.

Wikidata ID

Q65026273

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